Frequently Used References

[Tyler]

I'd like to introduce some of my higher level English students (in China) to some common names English-speakers will use in reference. One example would be Yoko Ono. Most people over a certain age are aware that she was Lennon's lady and "broke up" The Beatles, and in a group (of musicians or anything else), to be the "Yoko Ono" is an understood reference.

Which other famous people do we have a shared understanding of? Which other names come up often in reference?

[tim840]

Lincoln. Caesar.

[nietzschefan]

Oddly, Quisling(Norge) is starting to get antiquated ... Benedict Arnold(English/American) with stand the test of time.

Actually Tyler, I would think you as a Canadian, would realize "Yoko Ono" could actually mean "The just perfect girl for just me" (cause everyone else thinks she is an ugly, loud, asian, bitch), after we Canadians were subjected to the Bare naked ladies music in the 90s...

[cosmictraveler]

Henry Kissinger, William F. Buckley, Warren Buffet, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and my favorite....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o

[Lux]

amongst a certain group of my friends whenever someone has a horrendous night on the town (i.e. very drunk/inappropriate or numerous hook-ups) we trivialize and neutralize it by saying they "pulled a Britney"

not sure if there is widespread usage, but everybody understands what it means

[Orleander]

Mario Andretti - fast driver
Evel Knieval - reckless driver
Mother Theresa - perfect person
Three Stooges - group of idiots
Three Musketeers - group of close friends
Gomer - idiot
Barney - idiot police officer

[Fraggle Rocker]

Einstein, Machiavelli, Hitler, Caesar, Stalin, Al Capone, Jesse James. Hmm, six out of those seven referents are bad guys, what does that say about us?

Stephen Hawking's name is starting to pop up. So is Miss Piggy's.

Willie Loman, the protagonist in Miller's "Death of a Salesman" who was overcome with futility.

I don't think anybody in America even thinks about Yoko Ono anymore.

[Orleander]

...I don't think anybody in America even thinks about Yoko Ono anymore.

I hear references to Yoko One when people talk about Kate Hudson and how she broke up the Black Crows when she married what's his name.

[cosmictraveler]

Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Miles Davis.

[Fraggle Rocker]

Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Eric Clapton. . . .

Those are people who made it into the general cultural milieu, although by now it may be a bit of a stretch for Clapton in the US.

. . . . Buddy Guy, Miles Davis.

These are genre musicians. People who aren't fans of blues or jazz, respectively, might not get the reference.

Still I think the OP is asking the question, "Who has become such a cultural figure that his/her name is used as a metaphor?" We may be veering away from that.

That Israeli politician who said it might be time for a Shoah ("Holocaust") against the Palestinians was called "the Jewish Hitler." When someone says two plus two equals five, someone else will quickly respond, "You're no Einstein, buddy." When a man who gets mugged by two tough guys beats the crap out of them, we'll say "He's a real Joe Louis."

Okay, so if you're the best sousaphone player anyone ever heard, they might call you "the Jimi Hendrix of the sousaphone." And if a lady walks through the mall with her underwear showing, somebody might say, "Who does she think she is, Madonna?"

But you have to be a blues guitarist or a jazz trumpeter to be compared to Buddy Guy or Miles Davis, and a lot of people won't get the reference. (Even though I'm neither a blues fan nor a jazz fan, I'm a musician. Most people aren't. I love Miles Davis's folksinger daughter, Alana Davis.) I don't think these are the kind of nearly-universal references that are worth teaching to people in another country. If they come over here and proudly use one, they might be disappointed if the people around them don't get it.

What kind of metaphor would you make out of Eric Clapton? His singing is nothing special and he had to hire Dwayne Allman for the fancy guitar work in "Layla." His son fell out of a window and died (how exactly that was able to happen has never been publicized but even I know you're supposed to childproof your living quarters) and he expressed his love and grief in "No Tears in Heaven," but it's a little hard to work that into a metaphor.

[Tyler]

My take on the ones that have been given:

Lincoln - Not used in any kind of common metaphor. We rarely look at a guy who's arrogant and say "who does he think he is, Lincoln himself?" It's usually "Christ" we refer to, or God.

Caesar - I like this one, but I think it's necessary to note this one only works among the educated. Caesar is the very definition of a tyrant and the greatest historical example.

Benedict Arnold - Perfect for anyone going to America.

Henry Kissinger, William F. Buckley, Warren Buffet - Not commonly used for anything.

John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan - Maybe works in America for great examples of their respective parties (though I would debate both points).

Mario Andretti - fast driver
Evel Knieval - reckless driver
Mother Theresa - perfect person
Three Stooges - group of idiots
Three Musketeers - group of close friends
Gomer - idiot
Barney - idiot police officer - All of these work except for the last one. Most young people have no idea who Barney was.

Einstein, Machiavelli, Hitler, Stalin - I'd agree with all of these, they're all fairly commonly used. Although Machiavelli is another one that only the at least somewhat educated will know and understand. No offense to my grandma, but if I told her some politician was "Machiavellian" she would have no idea what I said.

Al Capone, Jesse James - Maybe. But more or less just as criminals. I think these ones are comparatively weaker and less used.

Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Madonna - I'll take these, but I think Fraggle is right about the rest.

My addition for the day: Don Quixote. Again, this is relegated to the "educated" class, I suppose, but I think it's still widely understood.


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"after we Canadians were subjected to the Bare naked ladies music in the 90s... "

As a life long hater of the Bare Naked Ladies I refuse to acknowledge this reference.

[John Connellan]

You're a Judas; is a good one that is often used in the Christian world but might not be so appropriate for your Chinese class. I'll try again

[John Connellan]

"The Mae West" is another one that was used extensively by the previous generation but many today don't know who she was