What does allusion mean?
Word: Allusion
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Allusion means a short mention of a person, story or event that the speaker or writer expects you to recognise, without explaining it fully.
Synonyms: reference, hint, mention
How do you spell allusion?
Syllables: al - lu - sion
Tricky part: The ending is -sion, said "zhun" as in vision and television. Writing -tion, which says "shun", is the usual slip.
Watch out for: allution, allusian
Memory tip: Allusion comes from the verb allude: the d turns into s, just as explode becomes explosion and decide becomes decision.
Allusion in a sentence
Example 1: The poet's line about a golden deer is an allusion to the Ramayana.
Example 2: Our teacher smiled at the allusion to Sherlock Holmes in my mystery story.
Example 3: When Dad calls our cat the Tenali Raman of the house, it is an allusion to the clever poet of the old tales.
Fun Fact
Allusion comes from the Latin verb alludere, "to play with", so an allusion plays with an idea instead of stating it directly.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Choose the option that fills both blanks correctly:
1. When the coach called our goalkeeper 'our Great Wall', it was an ___ to the Great Wall of China. 2. The lines on the card are straight; the bending you see is an optical ___.
a) allusion/illusion
b) 'allusion' in both
c) 'illusion' in both
d) illusion/allusion
Show answer
a) allusion/illusion. A hidden mention of something famous is an allusion; a trick played on the eyes is an illusion.
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
a__usion
a) ly
b) lu
c) ll
d) l
Show answer
c) ll. The word starts with a and a double l, the same opening as allow and allot.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. allocate 2. allusion 3. allure a. an indirect mention of something well known b. to give something officially for a particular purpose c. the power to attract or charm people
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. You allocate funds, you make an allusion to a story, and a hill station can have great allure.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
salnoiul 12345678
a) 26871354
b) 24371658
c) 23871654
d) 23871564
Show answer
c) 23871654. Start with a, l, l from positions 2, 3 and 8, then add u, s, i, o and n to finish allusion.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Raju says, 'My little brother is a real Kumbhakarna on Sundays.' He is making an allusion to someone who ___.
a) runs faster than the wind
b) can lift a whole mountain
c) sleeps for months at a stretch
d) tells the funniest jokes
Show answer
c) sleeps for months at a stretch
2. Which of these is most likely to contain an allusion?
a) a bus timetable for the city
b) a page of times tables
c) a price list in a grocery shop
d) a poem hinting at a Panchatantra tale
Show answer
d) a poem hinting at a Panchatantra tale
