Definition of "allusion" []

• The act of alluding; indirect reference: Without naming names, the candidate criticized the national leaders by allusion. (noun)
• An instance of indirect reference: an allusion to classical mythology in a poem. See Usage Note at allude. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The origin of the allusion is the myth of Philomel who, after her brother-in-law"
• "Every thought that was devoted to it was an extreme anguish, and every word that I spoke in allusion to it caused my lips to quiver, and my heart to palpitate."
• "The new taxon is named Gamerabaena, and the authors note, under etymology, "'Gamera refers to the fictional, firebreathing turtle from the 1965 movie Gamera, in allusion to his fire-breathing capabilities and the Hell Creek Formation ...""