Icarus and father escaped by flying on wings made of wax. Icarus flew too close to the sun and the wax melted.

Meaning: to fail/be destroyed because of lack of caution or overambition

Used to describe when a Roman emperor shamefully bribed his subjects with free food and entertainment to keep them content.

Meaning: policies designed to keep the peace through avoiding troublesome issues

Latin for "blank slate." John Locke refferred to the mind of a young person unaffected by experience as a tabula rasa.

Meaning: Refers to the idea that someone/something is entirely unmarked and uninfluenced

Hans Christian Anderson's emperor is decieved by "tailors" who make him clothes invisible only to the unworthy eye. A young boy points out his nudity.

Meaning: Someone points out the falseness or pretentiousness of something, particularly when others frea admitting the truth

The left hand is often associated with negativity, or evil.

Meaning: A compliment that doubles as an insult

Moses finds the people he freees worshipping a golden calf.

Meaning: Reference to the obsession of something like worshipping an idol

The king sat Damocles at the royal chair so that he could experience the privileges and dangers associated with being king.

Meaning: awareness of imminent danger

A singing master who teaches Trilby to sing and exercises complete control over her.

Meaning: a person who exercises complete control over another

Latin for "it does not follow." Can refer to a statement that is unrelated to previous statements.

Meaning: a conclusion that does not follow the premises.

A king in Siam realized that the traditions associated with white elephants made them uncostly and began giving them as gifts to those whom he disliked.

Meaning: an object that has no use to its owner and may even represent a financial burden or inconvenience.

While a fire consumed half of Rome, Nero played his fiddle indifferently.

Meaning: to display indifference in the midst of an emergency or disaster.

Means "god from the machane." In theatre, the machane was the actor's harness; often, a god would unexpectedly appear flying to Earth to solve a seemingly harmless problem.

Meaning: refers to any surprising turn of events that suddenly makes things turn out alright. (unsatifactory and overly convenient ending)

A king in Greek mythology who was sentenced to suffer eternal hunger; each time he reached for food or drink, it slipped away.

Meaning: to be "tantalized" (offered something desireable that is often withheld)

"Not in My Backyard"

Meaning: refers to the fact that people insist that unpleasant realities be located away from where they live

The final battle in the Napoleonic Wars in which Napolean was defeated.

Meaning: to suffer an ultimate, decisive, defeat