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

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paean (peebn) A song or other expression of
praise. <strong>The</strong> original paeans were composed in
honor of the Greek god Apollo, whose alternative
titles included Paian, a name denoting his status as
physician to the gods. Other words from the same
root include the fl ower name peony, the blooms of
which were formerly prized for their medicinal
properties. “This quickly took us out of range of
Red- Eye, and the last we saw of him was far out on
a point of land, where he was jumping up and
down and chanting a paean of victory” ( Jack London,
Before Adam, 1907).
Paine, Tom See tom paine.
painted Jezebel See jezebel.
painting the Forth Bridge Undertaking an apparently
never- ending task. <strong>The</strong> cantilevered railway
bridge over the Firth of Forth in southeast Scotland
was built in 1890 and according to legend
takes four years to paint, at which point it is necessary
to begin painting all over again from the
beginning. In fact, this is not (and probably never
has been) true of the Forth Bridge, although it is
true that it has a permanent maintenance staff.
<strong>The</strong> paint used on the bridge today needs reapplying
every ten years. “After Melanie shopped, she
helped her aunt, either serving in their own shop
or writing out price tags or performing the endless
task of polishing the woodwork of counter
and drawers, a Forth Bridge of polishing that was
no sooner completed than the messy fi ngers of
small customers meant it must be started again”
(Angela Carter, <strong>The</strong> Magic Toyshop, 1993).
painting the Sistine Chapel (sisteen) Undertaking
a demanding and seemingly endless task, especially
one of a creative nature. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to
the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at
the Vatican in Rome by the great Italian Re naissance
artist michelangelo (1475–1564). This
masterpiece of Western art famously took
Michelangelo years to complete, to the exasperation
of Pope Julius II (1443–1513), who had commissioned
the work. You’d think she was painting the
Sistine Chapel the way she moans about decorating her
house.
paint the town red To celebrate with gusto. <strong>The</strong>
phrase is said to allude to a memorable night of
roistering in the town of Waterford, Ireland, on
April 5, 1837, during the course of which the
marquis of Waterford and his friends made liberal
use of pots of red paint. Alternative origins include
references to the red- light district of certain towns
or to the convivial gatherings of huntsmen in the
En glish town of Melton Mowbray. “By the time