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| insisting on being paid even if it harms the debtor; comes from Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice"; Shilon= moneylender who doesn't like to lend money, Antonio= tries to make money and uses Shilon to buy a ship to sail the world, but if Antonio doesn't return or repay, Shilon wants a pound of flesh |
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| comes from Hinduism; means you can't interfere with something in any way |
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| comes from Julius Caesar; Rubicon = river that forms the northern boundary of Italy; means to take an irreversible step |
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| comes from the Sermon on the Mount; quote: "Cast not your pearls before swine."; meaning: don't deliver a message to those incapable of appreciating value |
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| Blue Moon- 2nd full moon within the same calendar month, happens once every three years; traditional calendar makers denoted 1st full moon as red and the 2nd as blue; describes something that occurs rarely |
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| attitude of narrow-mindedness; comes from "Speed the Plow", a 1798 play; narrow-minded conventional prudish person |
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| Crocodiles were once thought to shed large tears before devouring their prey; cold blooded reptile has no real feelings of sympathy for their prey; to show false sympathy for someone |
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| Greek mythology- were mythological woman-birds; sea creatures lured sailors to death on rocky shores by singing lovely songs; anything that tempts a person away from safety toward a destructive path; __ song- temptation used to lure a person |
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| under English common law, an unruly crowd had to be read the Riot Act before action could be taken; issue stern warning that if unacceptable behavior does not cease, severe consequences will follow |
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| Thirty Pieces of Silver/ Betrayed with a kiss |
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| payment received for supposed friend's treachery; comes from Bible- Judas agreed to give Jesus over for payment; the way authorities identified Jesus |
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| Gordius- legendary Greek king; tied extremely complex knot that no one could untie; whoever untied it would rule Asia; Alexander the Great cut through it with his sword; knot itself= represents extremely complex problem; cutting through= represents solving the problem in a quick, decisive manner |
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| French poet shut himself up in ivory tower to work on poems; appears in fairy tales; unreachable place; negative connotations; today a person secluded from the real world |
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| All that glitters is not gold |
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| proverb from translation by Aristotle; that which appears valuable on the outside, but may in fact be worthless; appearances can be deceptive |
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| Shakespearean play Macbeth; signifying nothing; Today: a great passionate uproar that is actually unimportant or meaningless |
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