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

hard hat
212
(1964), the title of which supposedly originated as
a remark made by drummer Ringo Starr after a
particularly demanding fi lming session. According
to some authorities, Starr was quoting from the
Lennon–McCartney song of the same title, which
had presumably already been written by the relatively
late point in fi lming at which Starr delivered
the line, or else from a poem by John Lennon. <strong>The</strong>
ultimate origin may, however, lie in a sentence
from a short story called “Sad Michael,” which had
been published in John Lennon’s In His Own
Write in March 1964: “He’d had a hard day’s night
that day, for Michael was a Cocky Watchtower.”
With the amount of work we have to clear it looks like
it’s going to be a hard day’s night.
hard hat A person with conservative or reactionary
views. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the protective helmets
worn by construction workers and other
people working in hazardous environments. <strong>The</strong>
phrase is of U.S. origin, and was inspired by the
conservative attitudes that became associated with
U.S. construction workers in the 1960s. We don’t
think the hard hats in Congress will agree to support this
mea sure.
Hardy, Andy See andy hardy.
Hardy, Oliver See laurel and hardy.
hare and the tortoise A patient, methodical
approach may succeed better than a more hurried
one. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the fable of the hare and the
tortoise attributed to the Greek writer aesop
(c. 620–560 b.c.). <strong>The</strong> tale relates how the hare lost
a running race to the much slower tortoise because
he was so confi dent of victory that he decided to
take a short rest before completing the course.
When it comes to investment policies it is often a case of
the hare and the tortoise as the more glamorous options
often underperform compared to less exciting choices.
Hari, Mata See mata hari.
hari- kari See hara- kiri.
harmless as doves See wise as serpents and
harmless as doves.
Harmonia’s necklace (hahrmoneebz) A possession
that brings bad luck to its own er. <strong>The</strong> allusion
is to the necklace that King Cadmus gave to his
bride, Harmonia, the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.
<strong>The</strong> necklace, which had been given to Cadmus
by Hephaestus (Aphrodite’s former husband),
brought evil to all who owned it. After suffering
many misfortunes Cadmus and Harmonia were
changed into serpents by the gods, all of whom
had attended the wedding. Like Harmonia’s necklace
the property seemed to work like a curse on all who had
possession of it.
Harpagon (hahrpbgon) A miser. Harpagon is the
name of the central character, a penny- pinching
misanthrope, in the classic comedy L’Avare (“<strong>The</strong>
Miser”) by the French writer Molière (Jean-
Baptiste Poquelin; 1622–73). When confronted
with having to choose between his lover and his
money, he chooses the money. He was so mean with
his money that his friends took to calling him Harpagon
behind his back. See also scrooge.
harpy (hahrpee) A predatory, grasping, shrewish
woman. In Greek mythology, Harpies (meaning
“snatchers” or “robbers”) were loathsome monsters
with the bodies of birds, the heads of women,
and the claws of vultures. Variously given as one,
two, or three in number, they were sometimes