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

avenging angel
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avenging angel Person bent on exacting retribution.
According to Judeo- Christian tradition, the
avenging angels, whose task it was to punish those
who broke the laws of God, were among the fi rst
angels created by God. Twelve in number, they
included Gabriel, Michael, Nathanael, Raphael,
Satanel, and Uriel. “Harry smiled blandly till they
were well on the pavement, saying some nothing,
and keeping the victim’s face averted from the
avenging angel; and then, when the raised hand was
suffi ciently nigh, he withdrew two steps towards
the nearest lamp- post” (Anthony Trollope, Doctor
Thorne, 1858).
Avernus (bvernbs) Hell; the underworld. In
Roman mythology, a cave beside the volcanic lake
of Avernus in Campania, central Italy, was identifi
ed as the entrance to the underworld and thus
the name of the lake became synonymous with
hell itself. <strong>The</strong> name itself means “without birds,” a
reference to the ancient belief that the sulphurous
exhalations of the lake killed any birds fl ying in the
area. Avernus is often referred to in the context of
a line from Virgil’s Aeneid (30–19 b.c.), “Facilis
descensus Averno” (easy is the descent to Avernus).
“Little boys at school are taught in their earliest
Latin book that the path of Avernus is very easy of
descent” (William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair,
1847–48).
axis (aksis) An alliance of two or more states,
organizations, or other entities, often with what
is perceived as being a nefarious end in mind. <strong>The</strong>
original Axis was the international po liti cal alliance
that was forged between Nazi Germany,
Fascist Italy, and Japan in 1936, linking their militaristic
ambitions. It was later extended to include
Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Croatia.
<strong>The</strong> term itself was introduced in 1939, when
it was coined by Italy’s Fascist dictator Benito
Mussolini, hailing the Pact of Steel agreed between
Italy and Germany that year. In 2002, President
George W. Bush brought the term back into currency
with his warnings about an axis of evil
being created to attack U.S. interests around the
world. <strong>The</strong> press took up the notion of an axis of evil
comprising Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.
axis of evil See axis.
ax to grind See have an ax to grind.
ayatollah (ibtolb) A repressive, authoritarian fi gure.
<strong>The</strong> term is used among Shia Muslims to refer
to their religious leaders, who deliver pronouncements
upon Islamic law. <strong>The</strong> word acquired negative
associations throughout the Western world with
the rise of the ayatollahs in Iran in 1979 and their
calling for the institution of strict Islamic states
around the world. <strong>The</strong> title itself means “manifestation
of God” in Arabic. This suggestion is unlikely to go
down well with the ayatollahs at head offi ce. See also
fatwa.
ay, there’s the rub See there’s the rub