Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication: The novel’s title is an allusion to Shakespeare.
- the act of alluding; the making of a casual or indirect reference to something: The Bible is a fertile source of allusion in art.
- Obsolete. a metaphor or parable.
noun
- the act of alluding
- a passing reference; oblique or obscure mention
1540s, from Latin allusionem (nominative allusio) “a playing with, a reference to,” noun of action from past participle stem of alludere (see allude). An allusion is never an outright or explicit mention of the person or thing the speaker seems to have in mind.
An indirect reference to some piece of knowledge not actually mentioned. Allusions usually come from a body of information that the author presumes the reader will know. For example, an author who writes, “She was another Helen,” is alluding to the proverbial beauty of Helen of Troy.