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

y papal decree to root out heretics within the
Roman Catholic Church. Established in 1231 and
at its height between the 15th and 17th centuries,
the Inquisition became feared throughout Catholic
Eu rope, using torture to extract confessions from
suspected persons and executing those found
guilty of crimes against the Church. Some of the
Inquisition’s worst excesses were carried out in
Spain, home to the Spanish Inquisition (as
depicted to comic effect in a famous monty
python sketch of the 1970s). “For another hour
the inquisition continued, almost, I felt, as though
the ‘judges’ were scraping for any dirt they could
fi nd” (Noel Barber, <strong>The</strong> Other Side of Paradise,
1992).
Inspector Clouseau (kloozo) A policeman or
detective, especially an incompetent one. <strong>The</strong> allusion
is to the bungling central character in the Pink
Panther fi lm series, beginning with <strong>The</strong> Pink Panther
(1963), in which he was played by British comedian
Peter Sellers. “Max was a diplomat—a combination
of Dr. Watson and Inspector Clouseau”
(Arnold Goodman, Tell <strong>The</strong>m I’m on My Way, 1993).
Inspector Maigret (maygray) Archetype of an
intuitive police detective. <strong>The</strong> patient, pipesmoking
Inspector Jules Maigret was the celebrated
creation of Belgian crime writer Georges
Simenon (1903–89). Maigret solves his cases
through observation of the circumstances surrounding
the crime as much as through examination
of any material clues, and is usually ultimately
successful in securing a confession from the guilty
party. <strong>The</strong> police offi cer who entered the room was smoking
a pipe, just like Inspector Maigret.
in the beginning was the Word Underlying
everything else is the concept of divine order and
reason. <strong>The</strong> phrase comes from John 1:1: “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.” <strong>The</strong> concept of the
Word predated John but as used by him came to
refer to Jesus Christ himself. <strong>The</strong>se words refl ect
the opening words of the Bible “In the beginning”
(Genesis 1:1). “In the beginning was the Word,” murmured
the bishop, when his charges ventured to voice
doubts. See also word, the.
in the right ballpark See ballpark fi gure.
in the sweat of thy face See adam’s curse.
Invisible Man
in vain the net is spread in the sight of the
bird Setting a trap is futile if the proposed victim
of it is allowed to see the trap being prepared. This
advice comes from Proverbs 1:17: “Surely in vain
the net is spread in the sight of any bird.” “ ‘If they
come, we shall be ready,’ said Bessas. ‘In vain the
net is spread in the sight of the bird.’ ” (L. Sprague
De Camp, <strong>The</strong> Dragon of the Ishtar Gate, 1961).
Invasion of the Body- Snatchers A situation in
which everything, or everyone, seems bizarrely
altered. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to a 1956 fi lm with the
same title, in which an ordinary U.S. town is
invaded by alien beings who have disguised themselves
as the human inhabitants, but betray themselves
by their oddly emotionless behavior. <strong>The</strong>
fi lm was remade in 1978 and 1993. <strong>The</strong> way all the
press were being so polite to the president, it was like
Invasion of the Body- Snatchers.
Invisible Man A person whose existence or infl uence
upon events around him or her goes largely
unnoticed. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the 1897 novel <strong>The</strong>
Invisible Man by H. G. Wells, which concerns the
experiences of Dr. Griffi n, a mad scientist who
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