Allusions form a colourful extension to the English
language, drawing on our collective knowledge of literature, mythology, and the
Bible to give us a literary shorthand for describing people, places, and events.
So a miser is a Scrooge, a strong man is a Samson or a Hercules, a beautiful
woman is a Venus or a modern-day Helen of Troy- -we can suffer like Sisyphus,
fail like Canute, or linger like the smile of the Cheshire Cat. This reference
work explains the meanings of the allusions in use in modern English, from
Abaddon to Zorro, Tartarus to Tarzan, and Rubens to Rambo. Quotations from a
range of authors and sources are included at most entries to illustrate
usage–anywhere from Thomas Hardy to Ben Elton, Charles Dickens to Bridget
Jones’s Diary. This second edition includes completely up-to-date
allusions–from Gollum to Kofi Annan–and a handy A-Z order has been adopted for
extra ease of reference and usability.

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