The other hypothesis often mentioned is that the phrase might allude to gambling, where some players make a big deal out of "throwing the bones" while others just quietly go about their business of losing money.

To judge by recent annual reports, the phrase alludes almost exclusively to African, Asian, American Indian and especially Hispanic countries and cultures.

When taken in the context of Dowson's poem about "Cynara", the phrase "gone with the wind" alludes to erotic loss.

The phrase alludes to a judgment for eternal rewards in 2 Corinthians 1:14 where it says "we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus".

The phrase alludes to the days in the early 1900's when Cornelius Vanderbilt first created the branch in Pennsylvania Station, before its move closer to Grand Central Terminal in 1931.

The phrase may allude to John Dryden's poem "Annus Mirabilis" about the events of 1666.

The phrase "little eyases" in the First Folio (F1) may allude to the Children of the Chapel, whose popularity in London forced the Globe company into provincial touring.

Some sources (e.g. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms) say that the phrase probably originally alluded to soldiers who died on active duty.

That last phrase alludes to a danger that by any rational calculation deserves top billing on Americans' lists of fears.