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

on a federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry in Virginia
on October 16, 1859, with the aim of getting
weapons with which to arm the slaves. <strong>The</strong> raid
failed and Brown was tried and hanged, but he
became an icon of the antislavery movement and is
still remembered for his resolute (if misguided)
zeal in an undubitably righ teous cause, as celebrated
in the marching song “John Brown’s body
lies a-moldering in the grave.” He thundered at them
about the need to take up arms and act, like the ghost of
John Brown himself.
John Bull <strong>The</strong> archetype of an En glish squire and
a symbol of En gland itself. Traditionally depicted
as a plump, rosy- cheeked, middle- aged man in a
Union Jack waistcoat and top hat, and often
accompanied by a British bulldog, John Bull made
his fi rst appearance in John Arthuthnot’s satire <strong>The</strong>
History of John Bull (1712). He continued to appear
in cartoons as a repre sen ta tion of En glish patriotism
and traditionalism well into the 20th century,
but is considered dated today. “He’s a true John
Bull” (Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, 1868–69).
John Dillinger See public enemy number one.
John Hancock A person’s signature. As president
of the Continental Congress, John Hancock
(1736–93) was one of the most prominent supporters
of the American cause in the American
Revolution and in 1776 became one of the signatories
of the Declaration of In de pen dence. His
large, distinctive signature stood out among those
of his fellows, hence the adoption of his name as
an eponym for a signature. Legend has it that he
deliberately wrote his name as large and clearly as
he could so that King George III of En gland would
be able to read it even without his reading glasses
(although contemporaries observed that that was
how he always signed his name). Stick your John
Hancock at the bottom of the page.
Johnny Appleseed A person who shows others
how to support themselves by understanding the
ways of nature. <strong>The</strong> original Johnny Appleseed
was the nomadic backwoodsman John Chapman
(1774–1845), who became a folk hero for the help
he gave pioneer settlers in the American West. His
nickname refl ects his reputation for scattering
apple seeds throughout Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and
Pennsylvania to provide orchards for the benefi t of
pioneer families. He is also said to have warned
settlers of imminent attack by Native American
tribes. His grandfather wore an old straw hat and spent
his days contemplating the garden from his rocking chair
like some superannuated Johnny Appleseed.
John o’ Groats ( jon o grots) A remote, fardistant
place. John o’ Groats is the name of a village
at the furthest northeastern point of mainland
Scotland. Scottish folklore has it that the original
John o’ Groats (or Jan de Groot) was one of three
Dutch brothers who settled hereabouts around
1500. When members of the eight branches of the
family subsequently disagreed over who was most
se nior, John built an eight- sided room around an
eight- sided table, so that all could sit at the head of
the table. You could have heard the groan of despair in
John o’ Groats.
Johnsonian ( jonsoneebn) Written or said in a
fi ne, erudite style or otherwise reminiscent of the
lexicographer, essayist, and wit Dr. Samuel Johnson
(1709–84). Johnson was justly revered in his
own age and by later generations as a master of
written and spoken En glish, and to be judged
Johnsonian in writing style or conversation remains
no small compliment. His name might also,
Johnsonian
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