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

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Kafkaesque (kafkbesk) Nightmarish, defying
logic, contradictory. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the short
stories and novels of the Czech- born writer Franz
Kafka (1883–1924), which generally depict individuals
overwhelmed by terrifying, surreal events
of which they have little understanding and over
which they have no control. <strong>The</strong> term “Kafkaesque”
is often applied to the seemingly unfathomable or
nonsensical actions of big bureaucracies or faceless
state organizations. “Toiling up the slope from
Falmer railway station, you had the Kafkaesque
sensation of walking into an endlessly deep stage
set where apparently three- dimensional objects
turned out to be painted fl ats, and reality receded
as fast as you pursued it” (David Lodge, Nice
Work, 1988).
kalends See calends.
kama sutra (kahmb sootrb) An erotic sex manual
detailing lovemaking techniques. Though today
applied to virtually any sex guide, the term originally
referred to an ancient Hindu text that gave
advice on lovemaking and related matters, sometimes
attributed to the fi rst- century a.d. Indian
sage Vatsyayana. Its name referred to Kama, an
Indian love god (kama also being the Sanskrit word
for “love”), and sutra, meaning “thread” or “way.”
<strong>The</strong> book became notorious in the West after its
translation into En glish by Sir Richard Burton and
F. F. Arbuthnot in 1883. Geraldine was surprised to
receive a lecture on the kama sutra from her aunt when
she visited her in the retirement home.
kamikaze (kamikahzee) A suicide attack or
attacker. Derived from the Japa nese for “divine
wind,” the term became widely familiar during
the latter stages of World War II when it was
adopted as a tactic by Japa nese fi ghter pi lots, who
attempted to sink Allied warships by crashing their
bomb- laden aircraft into them at the cost of their
own lives. <strong>The</strong> original “divine wind” was a typhoon
that removed the threat of an imminent Mongol
invasion of Japan in August 1281 by destroying the
Mongol invasion fl eet. In modern usage, the term
is commonly applied to anyone who behaves in a
reckless manner apparently without regard to his
or her own safety or interests. <strong>The</strong> streets were being
terrorized by kamikaze motorists who seemed oblivious of
the danger they were putting themselves in.
Kane, Citizen See citizen kane.
kangaroo court An improperly constituted court
that has no legal validity. <strong>The</strong> expression would
appear to be of U.S. (not Australian) origin, being
fi rst recorded in the American West around the
middle of the 19th century, specifi cally to describe
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