According to DigoPaul, allusion is a concept linked to the verb aludir (to name, point to or refer to a person or a thing). An allusion (which comes from the Latin allusĭo), therefore, is a reference to an object, a symbolic question, or an individual.
For example: “I want to clarify one thing for you: when I said that there were incapable people in this company, it was not an allusion to you”, “Your words hurt alluding to my parents”, “The coach hinted at the conflict and stated that he did not I was going to tolerate another situation of violence within the team. ”
Allusions, therefore, are reviews or indications of something. If a journalist analyzes the electoral process of a country, it can be said that he refers to the elections in his program. Similarly, when a young woman talks to her friend about her boyfriend, she will be referring to the boy in question.
It is evident that it is possible to make an allusion about a human being, an object, a situation or something of any other nature. Everything that can be expressed through language, therefore, is susceptible of being alluded to.
In the field of rhetoric, an allusion is a literary figure whose content points to a concept indirectly. The allusion, in this way, suggests or insinuates a meaning through the mention of certain features or properties.
The expression “man’s best friend” is a rhetorical allusion to name a dog, for example. Other allusions of this kind are “the big cheese” (by the moon) or “the wooden suit” (by coffin).