| Cassandra: In Greek legend, Trojan princess, daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She was given the power of prophecy by Apollo, but because she would not accept him as a lover, he changed her blessing to a curse, causing her prophecies never to be believed. While seeking refuge from the Greeks during the Trojan War, she was dragged from the temple of Athena and violated by the Locrian Ajax. After the war she was the slave of Agamemnon and was killed with him by his wife Clytemnestra. She was also known as Alexandra. In modern parlance, Cassandra is a person who prophesies doom or disaster. To be a Cassandra, is to be a doomsayer that nobody takes seriously. Use: What is it about Cheney�s character and background that makes him such a Cassandra? ~ MSNBC Nov10,2003 canary in a mine shaft/coal mine: First warning of danger. In earlier times miners took canaries down into coal mines to detect poisonous gases. Because the birds were more sensitive to these gases than people, they served as a warning device; if the birds died, the miners were in jeopardy and they had better get out. carpe diem: A Latin phrase meaning "seize the day". It is taken from the work of the Roman poet Horace (65-8B.C.) who in his Odes offered the thought, "carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero"- or, "enjoy today, trusting little in tomorrow". In other words, enjoy today because tomorrow is uncertain. It's a variation of "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die". casting couch: The locus of sexual favors given by aspiring actresses or actors and demanded or accepted by directors, especially in the Hollywood film indusctry, with the hope on the giver's part that advancement will result. Checkers speech: A speech in which a politician portrays him-or herself as unjustly victimized and plays on emotion to gain sympathy. Such manipulative speeches often are fraught with self-pitying personal detail embarassing to listener and render the speaker as much a figure of ridicule as of sympathy. The orginal Checkers Speech was a nationwide television address given by Richard Nixon in 1952 when he was Dwight D. Eisenhower's vice presidential running mate. In the speech, Nixon dealt with charges that he was the beneficiary of a secret political fund. As news coverage of the issue mushroomed, Eisenhower first stood aloof, then reportedly said that Nixon would have to prove himself 'clean as a hound's tooth' in order to avoid being dumped from the ticket. Nixon's decision to respond to the situation on television was innovative. In a 30-minute speech he described the fund and went into lugubrious detail about his modest personal finances. Response to the speech was overwhelmingly warm; Nixon stayed on the ticket. ~Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Allusions |
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