One of the most fascinating comic characters in British fiction is L.S. Caton, the scheming academic who first appeared in Kingsley Amis’ satire Lucky Jim. Based on Amis’ first publisher, R. A. Caton, the evasive and deceitful L.S. Caton became a running joke in Amis’ early novels; other writers then joined the joke by similarly alluding to him. Since Caton’s appearances subsequent to Lucky Jim allude both to his initial appearance and to his subsequent (allusive) appearances, they are metaallusive—allusions to prior allusions. Until now the existence of the metaallusion as a literary device has passed unnoticed. The allusive use of Caton also highlights two further aspects of allusion that are often overlooked: That they can have more than one object, and that their objects can lie in the future as well as in its past. In addition to addressing these theoretical issues this paper argues that Caton’s appearances enhance readers’ pleasure in the text and thereby facilitate the development of social bonds between them—one of the primary aims of humour. But despite his widespread comic appeal and theoretical interest L.S. Caton has received no sustained academic attention. This paper will correct this oversight by addressing this strangely neglected topic.