What is the source of the allusion in the sentence below?
In the Republican primary, the senator labeled his opponent a snake oil salesman.
a poem U.S. history
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.
"I'd better get home before I turn into a pumpkin!" Lila remarked.
Here, Lila alludes to the fairy tale "Cinderella," in which Cinderella must leave the ball before the coach that brought her transforms into a pumpkin. The allusion shows that Lila must depart immediately.
The source of the allusion snake oil salesman is U.S. history.
Thousands of Chinese laborers immigrated to the United States in the 1800 s. Many of them brought traditional medicines, including snake oil made from the Chinese water snake. In time, some people made fake versions of the remedy, and when the fakes were eventually exposed as ineffective, the salesmen gained a poor reputation.
The allusion snake oil salesman means a person making false promises.