Bunyan Paul Bunyan, the giant lumberjack of American legend.
Elliott Roosevelt the son of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32d president of the United States. Here, Gene refuses to enlist with Brinker, even if he were the son of the president. In turn, Brinker claims a family connection with the wealthy, powerful Roosevelts.
the Eton playing fields observation "Eton" town in Buckinghamshire, on the Thames, near London; site of a private preparatory school for boys. Here, Mr Ludsbury refers to the phrase used by the Duke of Wellington (1769–1852). In the Duke's opinion, the Battle of Waterloo, in which the British defeated the French led by Napoleon, was won "on the playing fields of Eton," the result of the spirit of the British officers who first learned to compete in the vigorous games of their schools, notably the prestigious Eton.
General MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964), United States general, commander in chief of the Allied troops in the southwest Pacific during World War II.
Guadalcanal largest island of the Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific. Here, the site of an United States victory after a long, bloody struggle (1942–43).
gull a person easily cheated or tricked. Here, Gene offers Leper as an example.
Madame Chiang Kai-Shek (Soon Mei-Ling) the wife of Chiang Kai-Shek (1888–1975), Chinese generalissimo and head of the Nationalist government on Taiwan (1950–75). Here, a reference to the couple's representation of wartime China in international circles.
Prohibition the forbidding by law of the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. Here, Finny is referring to the period between 1920 and 1933 when the sale of all alcoholic beverages was forbidden by an amendment of the United States Constitution.
Yellow Peril the threat to Western civilization presented by Asian people, especially those of China or Japan; widely believed in during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in North America, Europe, and Australia. Here, Finny gives Brinker the nickname when Gene says he is really Madame Chiang Kai-Shek.
