An allusion is a figure of speech in which an object or circumstance from an unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly, and it is left to the audience to make a direct connection. When the connection is directly and explicitly stated by the author, it is usually termed a reference. In literature, a literary allusion puts the alluded text in a new context under which it assumes new meanings and denotations. An allusion can be used as a straightforward device to enhance a text by providing further meaning, but it can also be used in a more complex sense to make an ironic comment on one thing by comparing it to something else.
Allusions are not only used in literature but also in everyday speech. An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, character, place, or event that a writer or speaker assumes the reader or listener will recognize. For example, the phrase "In the stock market, he met his Waterloo" is an allusion to the Battle of Waterloo, which is a well-known historical event.
Allusions can be internal or external. An internal allusion refers to something that happens earlier in the text, while an external allusion refers to something that originates from outside the text. Allusions are often used in literature to add depth and meaning to a work, and they can also be used to create a sense of shared cultural knowledge between the author and the reader.
