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

ååååå I å
I accuse See j’accuse.
Iago (yahgo) A person who pretends to be
friendly and supportive, while actually behaving in
a calculated and deceitful manner. <strong>The</strong> allusion is
to the treacherous ensign in William Shakespeare’s
Othello (c. 1603), who by playing on the sexual
jealousy of his commander othello cunningly
brings about the latter’s downfall and death. In
modern use, the term is often applied more widely
to anyone who conceals the plea sure he or she
takes in causing trouble or pain to others. Malcolm
clearly enjoyed playing Iago to his superior’s Othello,
secretly relishing the latter’s discomfort as he fed new
revelations to the press.
I am that I am I am as I appear to be, no more,
no less. <strong>The</strong> expression is biblical in origin, appearing
in Exodus 3:14 as God’s reply to Moses when
Moses asks his name during the episode of the
burning bush. “I am” is one translation of God’s
Old Testament name Yahweh or Jehovah. This
phrase has appeared in many guises throughout
world literature, perhaps most notably in William
Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello (c. 1603), in which
Iago misquotes it in the form “I am not what I am.”
I came, I saw, I conquered I have achieved what I
set out to do. <strong>The</strong>se were the words (in Latin veni,
vidi, vici) uttered by Julius Caesar (100–44 b.c.) as
he looked back on his conquest in the Black Sea
campaign of 47, according to Suetonius (c. a.d.
69–c. 140) in Lives of the Caesars. “I came, I saw, I conquered,”
said the victor as he lay down his racket and
reached for his jacket.
I cannot tell a lie What I am telling you is the
truth. This phrase famously alludes to the story of
the young George Washington (1732–99) who,
when accosted by his father after cutting down a
cherry tree with his hatchet, resisted the temptation
to conceal his guilt and said: “Father, I cannot
tell a lie. I did it with my little hatchet.” Often
quoted to the young as an ideal of honest virtue,
the story is apocryphal, making its fi rst appearance
in 1800 in Life of Washington by M. L. Weems.
“So I do not say, ‘Believe me, for I cannot tell a
lie’ ” (Michael Dibdin, Dirty Tricks, 1991).
Icarus (ikbrbs) A person who brings about his
or her downfall through carelessness or recklessness.
<strong>The</strong> allusion is to the Greek myth of Daedalus
and his son Icarus who effected their escape
from King Minos of Crete by constructing wings
of wax and feathers and using them to fl y off the
island and over the ocean. Unfortunately, Icarus
ignored his father’s instructions not to fl y too high
as the heat of the sun would melt the wax;
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