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

9,000 years before the emergence of ancient
Greece. According to legend, Atlantis sank beneath
the waters of the east Atlantic, destroyed by earthquakes
and fl oods as punishment for the wickedness
of its citizens. It has been suggested that this
lost land of fable may have been inspired by the
Canary Islands or the Azores. “As for Owen Ford,
the ‘Margaret’ of his book, although she had the
soft brown hair and elfi n face of the real girl who
had vanished so long ago, ‘pillowed where lost
Atlantis sleeps,’ had the personality of Leslie Moore,
as it was revealed to him in those halcyon days at
Four Winds Harbor” (Lucy Maud Montgomery,
Anne’s House of Dreams, 1917).
atlas (atlbs) A book of maps. <strong>The</strong> word refers to
Greek mythology, specifi cally to Atlas, one of the
Titans who attempted to overthrow Zeus. When
the rebellion was defeated, Atlas was condemned
to support the heavens upon his shoulders as punishment.
One legend had it that he was transformed
into the Atlas Mountains in northern
Africa after Perseus, offended at Atlas’s refusal to
offer him hospitality, showed him the head of
Medusa and turned him to stone. Any person who
has to bear a heavy burden may be dubbed an Atlas
or said to have Atlantean shoulders. <strong>The</strong> association
with cartography dates from 1595, when
maps compiled by Rumold Mercator included a
depiction of Atlas supporting the earth on the title
page. “Maple White Land it became, and so it is
named in that chart which has become my special
task. So it will, I trust, appear in the atlas of the
future” (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, <strong>The</strong> Lost World,
1912). See also charles atlas.
Atlas, Charles See charles atlas.
Atreus See house of Atreus.
Atropos See fates.
Attila the Hun
at the eleventh hour At the last moment; in the
nick of time. <strong>The</strong> expression is biblical in origin,
appearing in Matthew 20:1–16, which relates the
parable of the laborers in the vineyard and describes
how workers who started work at the 11th hour
received the same payment as those who had begun
much earlier. “I am not easily shocked; and I can be
implicitly trusted.’ I hesitated even now, at the
eleventh hour, sitting alone with him in his own
room” (Wilkie Collins, Armadale, 1866).
at the Greek calends (kalendz) Never. <strong>The</strong>
calends marked the fi rst day of the month in
the Roman calendar. (<strong>The</strong>y were unknown to the
Greeks.) He promised to repay the loan “at the Greek
calends” and disappeared before anyone could ask when
that might be.
attic <strong>The</strong> space beneath the roof of a building.
<strong>The</strong> word has its origins in the Attic style of architecture
developed in ancient Athens (Attica) in the
classical era. It acquired its modern meaning in the
18th century when Attic- style pilasters were widely
used to decorate the outer walls of upper stories
of classical facades. Attic salt describes a refi ned,
biting wit, alluding to the reputation for sophisticated
wit possessed by the inhabitants of ancient
Attica. Attic faith is synonymous with trustworthiness
or dependability, a refl ection of how
ancient Athenians believed themselves honorable
and civilized. “ ‘I see well enough you’re going to
get that old dress suit out of the cedar chest in the
attic, and try to make me put it on me’ ” (Booth
Tarkington, Alice Adams, 1921).
Attila the Hun (btilb) Nickname for someone
who behaves in a barbaric, cruel, and destructive
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