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

give us this day our daily bread
188
which describes how “Abraham gave up the ghost,
and died in a good old age.” “Why died I not from
the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when I
came out of the belly?” (Thomas Hardy, Jude the
Obscure, 1895).
give us this day our daily bread See daily bread.
gladiator A person who fi ghts for or supports a
par tic u lar cause or campaign. Derived from the
Latin gladius (meaning “sword”), the term was
applied to the combatants who fought to the death
with a range of weapons as a form of public entertainment
in the arenas of ancient Rome. Gladiatorial
contests were eventually suppressed in the
Eastern Empire in a.d. 325 and in the West in a.d.
500. <strong>The</strong> two fi ghters squared up to each other like
gladiators on the sands of the Colosseum.
Gladstonian (gladstoneebn) Relating to the policies
or character of British prime minister William
Gladstone (1809–98). Gladstone was well known
for his rather stern and serious views as well as for
his devout religious faith and undoubted talents as
a statesman. Hence, a Gladstonian politician may
be one who is regarded as a heavyweight, with
strongly- held views. “ ‘Perhaps then,’ said Viola,
whose lips were still set in a Gladstonian expression,
‘you will fi nd it possible to bring my grandchildren
along for me to have a look at’ (Robert
Barnard, Posthumous Papers, 1992).
glad tidings of great joy See good tidings of
great joy.
glasnost (glaznost) Relaxation of rules and
regulations. <strong>The</strong> term became widely familiar in
the late 1980s as the offi cial policy of the Soviet
Communist Party under its general secretary
Mikhail Gorbachev, who favored greater freedom
from restraint in social and cultural affairs. <strong>The</strong>
word glasnost (meaning “openness”) was often
used in conjunction with perestroika (meaning
“restructuring”), which referred to economic and
po liti cal reform. He had declared a new policy of
glasnost, which would allow every member of the family
to have their say.
glass ceiling A level beyond which an employee
cannot hope to be promoted. <strong>The</strong> expression has
its origins in the business world, in which context
the term suggests the image of an invisible barrier
that can be seen through, making promotion seem
possible, but which impedes further upward progress.
It is often applied in the world of work to
female employees, who feel that their sex prevents
them from reaching the highest levels. <strong>The</strong>re was a
glass ceiling that she must break through if her dreams
were to be realized.
glass darkly, through a See see through a glass
darkly.
glass jaw An inherent weakness that makes an
individual vulnerable to defeat by an opponent.
<strong>The</strong> phrase comes from boxing, in which it denotes
a fi ghter who is easily knocked out by a blow to
the chin. His sensitivity to criticism turned out to be his
glass jaw when he sought a career in public life.
glass of wine with the Borgias See borgias,
the.
Glaucus (glahkbs) A person who is destroyed by
his passion for something. In Greek mythology,
Glaucus was a son of Sisyphus. Glaucus was devoted
to his horses but could not be persuaded to breed
them. This provoked the anger of Venus, who made