Sir John Falstaff, a comical character in several of William Shakespeare's plays, is known for his cheerful sociability and sometimes off-color humor. Xavier's Falstaffian nature makes him stand out at a party.

In Herman Melville's classic novel Moby-Dick, Captain Ahab is fixated on his goal of tracking down and getting revenge on a white whale. The detective spent his career chasing his white whale, a notorious bank robber who had eluded law.

The character Pollyanna, from Eleanor Porter's children's book, is a young girl who finds good in everything and everyone. "Becky is such a Pollyanna!" Dan announced with a sigh.

Artist Andy Warhol predicted that "everyone will be famous for 15 minutes" in the coming years, suggesting that everybody, no matter their accomplishments, would briefly rise to fame. Kelsey had her 15 minutes when her dance went viral.

The character Cinderella, from the fairy tale of the same name, transforms from a disrespected and neglected young woman to the wife of a prince. The judge frequently described her life as a Cinderella story.

Pyrrhus was an ancient Greek king who won a battle but suffered very heavy losses. The swordsman achieved a Pyrrhic victory.

In Greek mythology, the muses are nine sister goddesses who embody and inspire song, poetry, art, and science. For several years, Dora Maar was Pablo Picasso's muse.

In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, from Kansas, goes to OZ, an unusual place that feels nothing like home. She says, " I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Ed walked through the crowded sidewalk and said, "We're not in Kansas anymore."

In one of Aesop's fables, four animals go on a hunt assuming that they will split their prize equally, but the lion, takes more than the other members of the group. My sister takes the lion's share of the space in the closet.

Draco, a government official in seventh-century Athens, Greece, wrote a code of laws that called for severe punishments for even minor offenses. Zach spoke at the city council meeting, claiming the new recycling regulations were draconia.