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

unlikely person to be the Pimpernel, thus making
him very diffi cult to unmask and inspiring him to
taunt his pursuers with the rhyme: “We seek him
here, we seek him there, / Those Frenchies seek
him everywhere. / Is he in heaven?—Is he in hell? /
That demned, elusive Pimpernel.” “He’s like the
Scarlet Pimpernel—totally elusive” ( Jenny Ashe,
Sweet Deceiver, 1993).
Scarlett O’Hara See gone with the wind.
Scarlet Whore of Babylon See whore of
babylon.
scarlet woman A woman with a reputation for
sexual promiscuity; a prostitute. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to
the whore of babylon, a sinful woman described
as wearing scarlet in Revelation 17. “Nay, we might
have judged that such a child’s mother must needs
be a scarlet woman, and a worthy type of her of
Babylon!” (Nathaniel Hawthorne, <strong>The</strong> Scarlet Letter,
1850).
Scarpia (skahrpeeb) A malevolent police chief.
Scarpia is the menacing chief of police in the opera
Tosca (1900) by the Italian composer Giacomo
Puccini (1858–1924). He lusts after the singer
Tosca and has her lover Mario Cavaradossi arrested
in the hope that she will agree to sleep with him in
exchange for his sparing Cavaradossi from execution,
but by the end of the opera all three are dead.
<strong>The</strong> Italian prime minister did not attempt to defend his
chief of police, who was behaving more and more like
Puccini’s Scarpia.
Schwarzenegger, Arnold See arnold schwarzenegger.
Scipio See continence of a scipio.
Scott of the Antarctic
Sciron (sirbn) Archetype of a vicious robber.
According to Greek legend Sciron waylaid travelers
on the Scironian rock in Megara and made
them wash his feet before he kicked them into the
sea, where they were devoured by a sea monster.
Sciron met his death at the hands of theseus. He
showed his enemies the mercy of a Sciron, taking plea sure
in humiliating his victims before putting them out of
their misery on a permanent basis.
Scotland Yard <strong>The</strong> headquarters of London’s
police force, or the police themselves. Great Scotland
Yard, Whitehall, was the headquarters of the
Metropolitan Police from around 1842 to 1890.
<strong>The</strong> force then moved to New Scotland Yard on
Victoria Embankment and remained there until
1967 when the headquarters was transferred to
Broadway, Westminster, which was again dubbed
“New Scotland Yard.” <strong>The</strong> original Scotland Yard
was a piece of land granted in the 10th century to
the kings of Scotland to be used by them on their
annual visits to London, and was technically considered
to be part of Scotland, hence the name. In
modern usage, the Metropolitan Police, or even
the British police in general, may be referred to
variously as “Scotland Yard,” “New Scotland Yard,”
or just “the Yard.” “Gathering his wits, the potman
said, ‘<strong>The</strong> constable and a man from Scotland
Yard in London came to Dore’s Lodge today’ ”
(E. V. Thompson, Wychwood, 1992).
Scott of the Antarctic An intrepid explorer,
especially one of polar regions. <strong>The</strong> British explorer
Captain Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912) is
remembered primarily for his heroic but ultimately
tragic expedition to the South Pole, which
resulted in the deaths of the whole party. <strong>The</strong> resolution
and self- sacrifi ce of the expedition members
enshrined Scott and his companions as ideals
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