Icarus/ fly too close to the sun
greek, failing from lack of caution
Bread and circuse
writer from the roman empire, prevent unrest by keeping people happy
Deus ex Machina
god from the mechane, classical theater, surprising turn of events that makes things turn out all right
Tabula Rasa
latin blank slate, uninfluenced
Tantalus
greek, offered something desirable
NIMBY
Not In My Back Yard, be aware of some unpleasant realities
Waterloo
to meet defeat
The emperor’s new clothes
hans christian anderson’s story, pointing out the falseness or pretentiousness of something
Left handed compliment
something negative, being a compliment but still insulting in some way
Golden calf
moses, something worshipped even though it is not worthy of worship
Sword of damocles
greek king, awareness of impending or imminent danger
Svengali
character in trilby,control or influence over another person
Non Sequitur
latin, means it does not follow, something said that is unrelated to the conversation
White elephant
king of siam, has no use to its owner and may even represent a financial burden or an inconvenience
Fiddle while rome burns
roman emperor nero, display indifference in the middle of an emergency or disaster
