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

Pharaoh. It was also with this rod or one similar to
it that Moses struck water from a rock, as related
at Exodus 17:6. He held the Moses’ rod loosely in his
outstretched hands and began to pace down the garden,
watching it intently. See also smite the rock.
most unkindest cut of all, the See unkindest
cut of all, the.
mote and beam An insignifi cant fault and a more
major one. <strong>The</strong> origins of the phrase lie in Christ’s
Sermon on the Mount, in which he warns those
who seek to tackle the minor faults of others to
consider fi rst their own failings: “Why beholdest
thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest
not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
(Matthew 7:3). Mote relates to a tiny particle of
dust or a chip of wood, while beam signifi es a more
substantial piece of timber. References to motes
in thy brother’s eye are usually heard when a person
is suspected of hypocrisy. He was tackling things
in entirely the wrong order, failing to deal with the mote
in his own eye before wrestling with the beam in his
brother’s.
moth and rust corrupt See lay not up treasures
upon earth.
motherhood and apple pie See apple pie.
Mother Hubbard See old mother hubbard.
Mother Teresa (tbreezb, tbrayzb) A person with
a strong charitable nature. Mother Teresa (Agnes
Gonxha Bojaxhiu; 1910–97) was an Albanian
Roman Catholic missionary who dedicated her life
to helping the destitute and dying in Calcutta. She
acquired an international reputation and received
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. To hear her go on
about how much she does for charity you’d think she was
Mother Teresa.
Mount Everest (evbrbst) A peak that is dauntingly
high. At 29,028 feet, Mount Everest is the
highest mountain peak in the world and the ultimate
challenge for climbers. <strong>The</strong> walk up the hill
would be easy for most people, but a Mount Everest for
disabled visitors. See also because it’s there.
Mount Olympus See olympian.
Mount Parnassus See parnassian.
mount Pegasus See pegasus.
Mount Pisgah (pizgah) A place or point that
affords optimism about or foresight into the future.
According to Deuteronomy 34:1, Moses ascended
Mount Pisgah in order to get a glimpse of the
Promised Land in the distance just before he died.
His account of the view from Mount Pisgah left us all
feeling very buoyant.
Mount Sinai (sini ) A place or situation where a
person comes face to face with some revelation or
challenge. In the Bible, Mount Sinai, or Horeb, is
identifi ed as the hill where Moses received the Ten
Commandments from God (Exodus 20 and 31:18
and Deuteronomy 5). Feeling like Moses on Mount Sinai
he struggled to take in the import of this new revelation.
mouths of babes and sucklings, out of the See
out of the mouths of babes and sucklings.
Mozart (motzahrt) <strong>The</strong> embodiment of musical
genius. <strong>The</strong> Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart (1756–91) was recognized as a musical
prodigy while still a young child and over the
Mozart
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