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

of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (1918–2006), a
powerful character who urges her young charges
to achieve their potential, regardless of convention.
In the 1969 fi lm version of the novel she was
memorably played by British actress Maggie
Smith. Like Miss Jean Brodie, she believed in free expression
and getting the best out of her pupils.
Miss Marple (mahrpbl) Archetypal shrewd
spinster- detective. Miss Jane Marple was one of
the most celebrated creations of the British crime
writer agatha christie, making her fi rst appearance
in Murder at the Vicarage (1930). <strong>The</strong> village in
which she lives, Saint Mary Mead, is the setting
for numerous tales of murder and mayhem, all of
which are solved through Miss Marple’s patient
deductions and acute understanding of human
nature. <strong>The</strong> murderer was unmasked by his own aunt, a
real- life Miss Marple.
Miss Piggy A fat woman, or a woman with a
volatile temper or squeaky voice. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to
a puppet character of the name in Jim Henson’s
highly successful tele vi sion series <strong>The</strong> Muppet Show
(1976–81). A large pig with long blonde hair and a
high- pitched voice, Miss Piggy is both temperamental
and im mensely vain. “ ‘You’re skating on
thin ice,’ she yelled in her Miss Piggy voice as she
skied dangerously close behind members of the
group” (Andrew Morton, Diana: Her True Story,
1993).
Miss World A very attractive, shapely woman.
<strong>The</strong> allusion is to the Miss World beauty contest,
fi rst held in the United Kingdom in 1951, and still
televised annually in many parts of the world,
despite the fact that it has long been lampooned
for its artifi ciality and outmoded sexist premise. A
Mr. World competition inaugurated in 1996 has
failed to capture the public imagination to the
same degree. His sister is a Miss World type, with long
legs, fl ashing teeth, and vacant smile.
mite See widow’s mite.
Mithras (mithrbs) <strong>The</strong> Sun or a personifi cation
of light. Mithras was a Persian god of light and
truth and was also venerated by the Romans. <strong>The</strong>
word itself means “friend.” “Mithras reveals all,”
whispered the archaeologist as the sun’s rays entered the
tomb, lighting the way ahead.
mithridatism (mithridaytizbm) Immunity to a
poison acquired through the consumption of gradually
increased doses of it over a long period. <strong>The</strong>
term is a reference to Mithridates VI, king of Pontus
(c. 132–63 b.c.), who became famous for his
supposed immunity to poison acquired in this
manner. Ultimately Mithridates tried to commit
suicide after being defeated by Pompey the Great,
only to fi nd no poison would kill him. In the end
he had to resort to ordering a soldier to put him to
death with his sword. <strong>The</strong> emperor’s survival when all
around him perished was a cause of much conjecture, and
suggestions that the solution lay in mithridatism have
never been fully discounted.
Mitty, Walter See walter mitty.
Mnemosyne See muses.
Moby Dick (mobee) A whale, or some other
large aquatic creature. <strong>The</strong> 1851 novel Moby- Dick
by the U.S. writer Herman Melville (1819–91)
tells the story of a whaling captain’s obsession with
catching a great white whale called Moby- Dick,
which in the past has cost him his leg. His insane
pursuit of the creature results in the loss of his
Moby Dick
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