Entertainment
Captain Mainwaring - this is the name of the English Captain who escorts Claire on her enforced journey south after she is 'rescued' from Dougal's men at the Battle of Falkirk Muir (DIA, chapter 44) Captain Mainwaring is one of the main characters from the British comedy series, Dad's Army.
Field of Dreams - chapter 32 of Dragonfly in Amber is entitled Field of Dreams. This may be a reference to the movie of the same name
Inspector Clouseau - Monsieur Clouseau is the name of Louise de la Tour de Rohan's physician. Louise calls him to see to Claire after Claire faints when learning that Jamie did not kill Jack Randall in the duel, but Claire locks Louise in a closet and escapes. As Claire leaves she tells Louise to get M. Clouseau to look at her pet monkey as he has mange (DIA, chapter 27) Monsieur Clouseau is named after the bumbling character Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther movies. The reference to the monkey is a particular reference to the movie Return of the Pink Panther which involves a monkey, or as Inspector Clouseau says, a minkey
John Wayne - When Jamie insists on having his badly smashed hand repaired without taking laudanum, Claire loses her tightly held self control and demands to know if he thinks he's "frigging John Wayne!" (Outlander, chapter 36) John Wayne was a famous American movie star who usually played the role of hero in westerns and war movies
Mickey Mouse - when the Duke of Sandringham is questioning Claire after she is brought to his home, Claire describes him as speaking 'with as much firmness as Mickey Mouse could manage' (DIA, chapter 44). This is a reference to the fact that both Mickey mouse and the Duke of Sandringham have high pitched voices
Minstrel Show - When Jamie covers his face in charcoal to steal the cotter pins from the English cannon carriages, Claire says that he looks like "the end man in a minstrel show" (DIA, chapter 36) This refers to the racist American minstrel shows which lampooned black people by having white people perform in blackface
The Postman Always Rings Twice - this is the chapter title of chapter 34 of Dragonfly in Amber. It is the name of a 1946 film adapted from the novel of the same name by James M. Cain. The meaning of the title is that the consequences of your actions will always catch up with you. If you don't hear the postman ring the first time, he will always ring a second time.
The Wizard of Oz - when Jerry MacKenzie is beaten up not long after falling through the stones, he feels like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz movie (Leaf). When Jamie has his hair decorated with silk ribbons by his nieces and nephews Claire tells him he looks like the Cowardly Lion of Oz (V, chapter 38) The Wizard of Oz movie came out in 1939
Wild Man of Borneo - when Claire first stumbles across the Huguenot priest hiding at Fontainebleu she thinks he looks like the Wild Man of Borneo (DIA, chapter 26) The Wild Man of Borneo was an act delivered by a sideshow performer called Oofty Goofty in the late 19th century. In his Wild Man of Borneo show his body was covered with a mixture of tar and horsehair and he was put in a cage and fed raw meat.
Field of Dreams - chapter 32 of Dragonfly in Amber is entitled Field of Dreams. This may be a reference to the movie of the same name
Inspector Clouseau - Monsieur Clouseau is the name of Louise de la Tour de Rohan's physician. Louise calls him to see to Claire after Claire faints when learning that Jamie did not kill Jack Randall in the duel, but Claire locks Louise in a closet and escapes. As Claire leaves she tells Louise to get M. Clouseau to look at her pet monkey as he has mange (DIA, chapter 27) Monsieur Clouseau is named after the bumbling character Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther movies. The reference to the monkey is a particular reference to the movie Return of the Pink Panther which involves a monkey, or as Inspector Clouseau says, a minkey
John Wayne - When Jamie insists on having his badly smashed hand repaired without taking laudanum, Claire loses her tightly held self control and demands to know if he thinks he's "frigging John Wayne!" (Outlander, chapter 36) John Wayne was a famous American movie star who usually played the role of hero in westerns and war movies
Mickey Mouse - when the Duke of Sandringham is questioning Claire after she is brought to his home, Claire describes him as speaking 'with as much firmness as Mickey Mouse could manage' (DIA, chapter 44). This is a reference to the fact that both Mickey mouse and the Duke of Sandringham have high pitched voices
Minstrel Show - When Jamie covers his face in charcoal to steal the cotter pins from the English cannon carriages, Claire says that he looks like "the end man in a minstrel show" (DIA, chapter 36) This refers to the racist American minstrel shows which lampooned black people by having white people perform in blackface
The Postman Always Rings Twice - this is the chapter title of chapter 34 of Dragonfly in Amber. It is the name of a 1946 film adapted from the novel of the same name by James M. Cain. The meaning of the title is that the consequences of your actions will always catch up with you. If you don't hear the postman ring the first time, he will always ring a second time.
The Wizard of Oz - when Jerry MacKenzie is beaten up not long after falling through the stones, he feels like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz movie (Leaf). When Jamie has his hair decorated with silk ribbons by his nieces and nephews Claire tells him he looks like the Cowardly Lion of Oz (V, chapter 38) The Wizard of Oz movie came out in 1939
Wild Man of Borneo - when Claire first stumbles across the Huguenot priest hiding at Fontainebleu she thinks he looks like the Wild Man of Borneo (DIA, chapter 26) The Wild Man of Borneo was an act delivered by a sideshow performer called Oofty Goofty in the late 19th century. In his Wild Man of Borneo show his body was covered with a mixture of tar and horsehair and he was put in a cage and fed raw meat.