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

knights of the Round Table
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allusion is to medieval legends in which the rescuers
were literally knights in shining armor,
often depicted rushing to the aid of a damsel in
distress. “She was convinced that if only she
could fi nd ‘a knight in shining armour,’ her life
would be transformed” (Gill Edwards, Living
Magically, 1991).
knights of the Round Table See round table.
knock and it shall be opened See seek and ye
shall fi nd.
know- nothing A bigoted, anti- intellectual, reactionary,
or xenophobic person. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to
an anti- Catholic, anti- immigrant movment, nicknamed
the “Know- Nothing” movement, that enjoyed
a brief spell in the limelight in the United States in
the 1850s, when concerted efforts were made to
ensure that important public offi ces went only to
native- born Americans. <strong>The</strong> nickname of this
secret po liti cal or ga ni za tion referred to the usual
reply given by its supporters to any query into the
party’s activities: “I know nothing.” <strong>The</strong> campaign
lost support among the liberal intelligentsia after some
of the candidates made a blatant appeal to the knownothings
who feared their jobs might go to recently
arrived foreign immigrants.
know not what they do, they Said of those who
act without realizing the signifi cance of their
actions or the consequences that may follow. <strong>The</strong>
phrase is a quotation from Christ on the Cross,
when he requests divine forgiveness for those who
have put him to death: “Father, forgive them; for
they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). “ ‘Yes,
Mrs. Reed, to you I owe some fearful pangs of
mental suffering. But I ought to forgive you, for
you knew not what you did . . .’ ” (Charlotte
Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847). See also father, forgive
them.
know someone from Adam, not to To be entirely
ignorant of someone’s identity. <strong>The</strong> expression
alludes to the biblical Adam (Genesis 2:19), who
as the fi rst man ever to live, should surely be familiar
to everyone. This grizzled old veteran claimed to
know my grandfather, but Grandpa protested that he did
not know him from Adam.
know them by their fruits To make judgments
about a person’s character based on his or her
behavior or actions. <strong>The</strong> phrase is biblical in origin,
coming from Matthew 7:16–20, in which
Christ warns against false prophets: “Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes
of thorns, or fi gs of thistles? Even so every good
tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit . . . Wherefore by their
fruits ye shall know them.” We’ll see if his claims to
be a reformed person are backed up by his actions. As the
good book says, “You will know them by their fruits.”
Kojak (kojak) A bald- headed person. <strong>The</strong> allusion
is to the fi ctional New York police detective
<strong>The</strong>o Kojak, played by Telly Savalas (1924–94) in
the U.S. tele vi sion series Kojak (1973–77). His
trademarks were his lollipops and his famously
bald head. He went in with a mop of dark curls and
came out looking like Kojak.
Kong, King See king kong.
K.P. Domestic duties. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to U.S.
Army slang, in which “K.P.” was an abbreviation
for “kitchen police.” Richard explained that he could
not come out with them as he had to stay at home to do
some K.P.