20 July 2010

yellow peril

- is a kind of...) menace; threat (something that is a source of danger) 
 
I feel as if someone has sprayed pepper up my nose. I am sick of sneezing. I am not alone in this affliction; I know lots of people who have never been affected before who are cursing the yellow peril this year. One of my friends reckons that oilseed rape is banned in America because of health concerns. I don’t know how true this is, but I wish it were banned in my vicinity.
Apparently, eating honey made by local bees can build up your immunity and protect you against oilseed rape pollen. I considered buying ‘rapeseed honey’, but I don’t think it was made by Northumbrian bees.
In bed at night, as my nose drips into the pillow, I fantasise about another cure for my ills.
 (She speaks about oilseed rape. 'colza oleaginosa'...)source
 
Meaning
The supposed danger of Oriental hordes overwhelming the West.
Origin
The phrase 'The Yellow Peril' is no longer used in anger, so to speak. The threat of Oriental hordes swarming west and engulfing 'civilised' societies was a widely held fear in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. see more here
 

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