What is the source of the allusion in the sentence below?
The garden was overtaken by invasive, hydra-headed hogweed plants.
classical mythology the Bible
An allusion is a brief mention of something or someone well known, often from mythology, history, or literature. An allusion lets you reference ideas from an entire story in just a few words.
The protean nature of the disease makes it difficult to diagnose.
The word protean is an allusion to the sea god Proteus in Greek mythology. Because the sea is constantly changing, to describe something as protean suggests that it is variable or in flux.
The source of the allusion hydra-headed is classical mythology.
In classical mythology, Hercules fought the Hydra, a monster with nine heads. When one head was severed, two grew in its place.
The allusion hydra-headed means difficult to overcome or contain.