The Facts on File Dictionary of Allusions - Green Valley High School

frog prince
176
Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly
Lion. “Charlie strolled past me, his arm around a
girl who had her tits hanging out, and he said, to
make her laugh, ‘Hurry up, Karim, you great
girl’s blouse, you friend of Dorothy’ ” (Hanif
Kureishi, <strong>The</strong> Buddha of Suburbia, 1990). See also
wizard of oz.
frog prince A person who undergoes a transformation
that reveals qualities not previously suggested
by his or her appearance. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to
the traditional fairy tale <strong>The</strong> Frog Prince, in which a
prince is turned into a frog and can only regain his
original form when kissed by a princess. Her husband
turned out to be something of a frog prince, defying
expectations by proving good company and, even more
impressively, useful around the house.
from Dan to Beersheba See dan to beersheba,
from.
from the mouths of babes come words of wisdom
See out of the mouths of babes and sucklings.
fruit of one’s labors <strong>The</strong> product of hard work.
<strong>The</strong> expression comes from Philippians 1:22: “But
if I live in the fl esh, this is the fruit of my labour:
yet what I shall choose I wot not.” It is a bitter thing
to see the fruit of one’s labors ignored in such a manner.
fruits, know them by their See know them by
their fruits.
Führer (fyoorb) A dictatorial person. <strong>The</strong> title
(meaning “leader” in German) was adopted by
Nazi dictator Adolf hitler on replacing President
Hindenburg as German leader in 1934. Such was
the barbarity and inhumanity of the regime over
which he presided that even now the term remains
contentious, although it is not infrequently applied
to any boss or other fi gure in authority who is perceived
to act in a harsh or intolerant manner. Her
father was the offi ce Führer, who insisted upon complete
obedience from his underlings.
full monty (montee) <strong>The</strong> complete version or full
set of something. <strong>The</strong> origins of this term are
obscure and much debated, though it appears to
date from around the middle of the 20th century.
<strong>The</strong> allusion may be to the British men’s outfi tters
Montague and Burton, who were famous for their
smart three- piece suits. Alternatively it may be a
reference to the Spanish card game monte or to
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (1887–
1976), who was nicknamed Monty—hence, perhaps,
the use of the term to describe the full
En glish breakfast (which Monty used to enjoy
every morning). <strong>The</strong> term gained new popularity
(and other connotations) after it was used as the
title of a 1997 fi lm about a group of unemployed
British workers who seek to raise money as striptease
artists. In their case, the term refers to fullfrontal
nudity. She had the full outfi t on, cowboy hat,
leather jacket, a pair of sixshooters, chaps—the full
monty.
Fu Manchu (foo manchoo) Archetype of a person
from the East, especially one who is suspected
of being a villain. <strong>The</strong> evil Chinese doctor Fu Manchu,
complete with drooping Fu Manchu mustache
and inscrutable manner, appeared as a
criminal mastermind in stories by Sax Rohmer
(Arthur Sarsfi eld Ward; c. 1883–1959) fi rst published
in the Story- Teller Magazine in 1912 and later
in novel form and in fi lms. Fu Manchu’s plans to
achieve world domination were thwarted time and
time again by his En glish nemesis Dennis Nayland
Smith. “He had a bald spot, under a straggle of