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

unconventional behavior in others. Mrs. Grundy
is an unseen character referred to in Thomas
Morton’s play Speed the Plough (1798), in which
other characters repeatedly worry “What will
Mrs. Grundy say?” This novel is sure to outrage the
Mrs. Grundys of this world.
Mrs. O’Leary’s cow (oleereez) An unsuspecting
cause of disaster. A cow belonging to the widowed
Mrs. Catherine O’Leary was blamed for
igniting the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 by accidentally
kicking over a kerosene lantern in a barn
in DeKoven Street. Most of old Chicago was
destroyed in the ensuing confl agration and some
250 people lost their lives. Mrs. O’Leary always
denied any responsibility for the fi re, and some
observers have instead identifi ed one of her neighbors,
Daniel “Peg Leg” Sullivan, as the culprit.
Like Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, he little knew the disastrous
chain of events he had set in motion by making that
telephone call.
Mr. Spock See star trek.
much study is a weariness of the fl esh See of
making many books.
muckraker A person who dredges up scandal
and exposes uncomfortable truths. <strong>The</strong> term has
its origins in John Bunyan’s pilgrim’s progress
(1678, 1684), in which the Muck Rake is identifi
ed as man so busy with raking up fi lth that he
fails to notice the vision of a celestial crown above
him. President <strong>The</strong>odore Roo se velt later used the
term to denigrate his opponents, and subsequently
it became identifi ed (not altogether negatively)
with investigative reporters, whose job it
is to delve into corruption in order to expose
wrongdoing in society. <strong>The</strong> muckrakers in the city
newspapers have got hold of the story and there’s no
telling where it will end.
Mudville, there is no joy in See casey at the bat.
Muhammad Ali
mugwump (mugwbmp) A person who changes
his or her party allegiance. <strong>The</strong> word has its origins
in the Algonquin mugquomp, meaning “big
chief.” It was later used to describe those members
of the Republican Party who opted to support
the Demo cratic presidential candidate Grover
Cleveland instead of the Republican James Blaine,
who was tainted with charges of corruption, in
1884. <strong>The</strong> term is also sometimes encountered in
a more general sense, referring to a gullible fool
or an idiot. “Like bread- making, any mugwump
can do it” (Elizabeth David, An Omelette and a Glass
of Wine, 1987).
Muhammad (mohambd, mohahmbd, mbhambd)
<strong>The</strong> found er of Islam, whose teachings form the
basis of modern Islamic faith. Muhammad (570–
632), also called Mohammed or Mahomet, was
forced to leave mecca because of his teachings
in 610; he fl ed to Medina with his followers but
returned as conqueror of Mecca in 630. He is
venerated today as the prophet of God, whose
beliefs are enshrined in the Qur’an, or Koran.
See also if the mountain won’t come to
muhammad.
Muhammad Ali (mbhambd alee) A formidable
boxer. Born Cassius Clay in 1942, the U.S. heavyweight
boxer Muhammad Ali won the world title
in 1964 and recaptured it in 1974 and 1978. He
was almost as well known for his eloquence outside
the ring as he was for his skill as a fi ghter in it.
He was as light on his feet as Muhammad Ali. See also
greatest, the.
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