MEANING: the latest possible time; the last minute
IN CONTEXT: I handed in my report at the eleventh hour and just made the deadline.
The eleventh hour is an expression with biblical origins. It is from the parable of the laborers in Matthew 20:1-16. The reference reads “And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?” At that time, the working day for manual laborers was twelve hours. In a last-ditch attempt to finish the day’s scheduled work on time, workers were sometimes hired at the eleventh hour of the day and, because of the urgency, they were paid the same amount as if they had worked the full day.
MEANING: someone who hides a malicious intent while pretending to be friendly and peaceful
IN CONTEXT: Rob appeared to have good intentions, but Beatrice suspected he might be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing is an expression from the Bible. It is from Matthew 7:15 and part of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” The phrase is well-known from one of Aesop’s fables, in which a wolf covered in the skin of a sheep is able deceive the shepherd and sneak into the flock. Once in, the wolf immediately eats a lamb.
MEANING: someone who will not believe anything without strong proof
IN CONTEXT: The house sale was agreed, but Sean was such a doubting Thomas that he wouldn’t accept it until the money changed hands.
The expression doubting Thomas stems from John 20:27 in the Bible. Saint Thomas was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ, but he would not believe the resurrection of Jesus until he had firsthand physical evidence. This was despite Jesus appearing and speaking. In order to verify the resurrection, Jesus let Thomas touch the wound that a Roman soldier had made while Jesus was on the cross. “Be not faithless, but believing,” Jesus said to him. It was only then that Thomas became a believer.
MEANING: an intense introduction to something
IN CONTEXT: His first swimming final was against the world champion in front of 40,000 people. It was a real baptism of fire.
Baptism of fire is an expression that relates to the 16th-century Protestant Christian martyrs. They were burned at the stake by Catholics who believed that the practice gave the martyrs a form of baptism before they were judged by God. Napoleon was the first to use the expression, although he spoke of le baptême du fer, a “baptism of iron.” The phrase is often now applied to military situations and a soldier’s first experience of war.
MEANING: a small defect or drawback that spoils something larger
IN CONTEXT: We had spent weeks preparing for the road trip, but at the time of departure there was a slight fly in the ointment: there was no gas in the car.
To have a fly in the ointment is an expression that originates from the Bible. Ecclesiastes 10:1 includes the phrase, “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor.” Apothecaries were the forerunners to modern-day chemists, and they dispensed various ointments that were used as medical remedies. These ointments were usually prepared in large vats. Generally being very particular about hygiene, the apothecaries believed that a single fly found floating in the ointment would ruin the entire batch.
MEANING: a bad outcome is likely
IN CONTEXT: Neil thought he’d gotten away with the robbery, but when the police knocked on his door, he knew the writing was on the wall.
The writing is on the wall is a biblical expression from Chapter 5 of the Book of Daniel. According to Babylonian legend, during a bout of drunken revelry, King Belshazzar drank wine from a sacred vessel that had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. As he did this, a mysterious disembodied hand appeared and wrote four words on the palace wall: “mene mene tekel upharsin.” Unable to fathom the meaning of the words, the King called for the Hebrew prophet, Daniel. Daniel told Belshazzar that the King had blasphemed God by drinking from the sacred vessel and so God had sent the hand. He then explained the message to the King: God had numbered Belshazzar’s days and his kingdom would be lost. Shortly afterward, the King was defeated and slain, and the parable became known as the story of the writing on the wall.
MEANING: an implied secret or private source of knowledge
IN CONTEXT: A little bird told me that Jake is planning on leaving the company soon.
A little bird told me is originally a reference from the Bible. While the words do not appear verbatim, Ecclesiastes 10:20 includes this line: “for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.” There is also a story from the Book of Kings in the Bible that involves a messenger bird. King Solomon summoned every bird to appear before him. They all did, except for the lapwing, who later explained that he had been with the Queen of Sheba, who was making plans to visit the King. Excited by this, Solomon made preparations to receive the Queen, and this information was passed back to the Queen by the lapwing. Facilitated by the little bird, the King and the Queen finally met. The expression was then used in literature from the 16th century.
MEANING: to nurture, help, or guide someone
IN CONTEXT: When I was new to the company, Geoff took me under his wing and showed me the ropes.
Take under your wing is an expression that has origins in the Bible, taken from the nurturing practice of mother birds who shelter chicks beneath their wings. The phrase derives from Matthew 23:37 and Jesus’s wish to protect the people of Jerusalem. In that passage Jesus says, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone them which are sent to you. How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.”
MEANING: an obstacle or hindrance
IN CONTEXT: The yacht was perfect for us, but the exorbitant price was too big a stumbling block.
Stumbling block is another expression that stems from the Bible. The popular phrase is referred to in two instances. Romans 14:13 says, “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.” Leviticus 19:14 also contains a reference: “You shall not curse the deaf nor place a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God—I am your Lord.” The expression was being used figuratively from the early 1500s.
MEANING: by the narrowest of margins
IN CONTEXT: My car skidded across the road in the wet conditions and I missed the lamppost by the skin of my teeth.
Most often used in relation to an escape from disaster, by the skin of your teeth is a biblical expression from Job 19:20. Satan makes a bet with God claiming that he can get Job to curse God’s name. God accepts and Satan does his worst in torturing Job, covering him in excruciating boils. Writhing in pain, at one point Job cries, “I am nothing but skin and bone. I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.” It is thought the likely reference is to Job’s gums, the skin that held his teeth in place, and obviously a very narrow margin.
MEANING: to act in a silly way, usually to amuse others
IN CONTEXT: The teacher told Jed to sit down and stop playing the fool.
Play the fool rose from the Bible and the book of Samuel 26:12. It tells the story of King Saul, who follows David with the intention of killing him. Admitting this, Saul says, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life is precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have committed a serious error.” Playing the fool in this original instance involved sinister intentions, but later evolved to simply mean tomfoolery.
MEANING: someone who argues against a point for the sake of it
IN CONTEXT: Ben is a really annoying person to have a discussion with as he’s always playing the devil’s advocate.
Devil’s advocate has its origins with the Roman Catholic Church. Since 1587 there has been a prescribed procedure for every candidate seeking sainthood. Before the Church determined whether to grant the sainthood, two representatives were appointed to argue the case. Arguing in favor of the proposed canonization was the advocatus dei, or God’s advocate, and presenting every possible argument against it was the advocatus diaboli, or devil’s advocate. Usage of the expression in the wider sense began by the mid-18th century.
MEANING: something frightening
IN CONTEXT: Whenever I see sharks on TV, they make my hair stand on end.
Having your hair stand on end is a physiological phenomenon that occurs as a reaction to the cold, excitement, or fear. Known colloquially as goosebumps (although the technical term is horripilation), the skin contracts and makes a person’s hairs stand upright. The expression itself has biblical origins and derives from Job 4:15 in the Old Testament: “A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end.” The phrase became widespread in 1603 with Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. In it he referred to a harrowing tale which would make “each particular hair to stand on end, like the quills upon the fretful porcupine.”
MEANING: said to someone who sneezes
IN CONTEXT: I sneezed on the bus and the lady next to me said “bless you.”
Often said as “God bless you,” bless you has religious origins. In medieval times it was believed that a sneeze would thrust a person’s soul from the body. God bless you was said to protect the unguarded soul from the devil until the person’s body regained it. Another school of thought at the time was that a sneeze was the expulsion of an evil spirit from the body. The person was blessed in the hope that the evil spirit would be unable to return to the blessed body. The expression became widespread during the Great Plague of London in 1665. Sneezing was thought to be a symptom of the Black Death, so “God bless you” was said to try to ward off the disease.
MEANING: a very small proportion of the whole
IN CONTEXT: The media room was expensive, but it was a drop in the ocean compared to the cost of the whole house.
Originally said as a “drop in the bucket,” drop in the ocean is a biblical expression. Isaiah 40:15 says “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.” The phrase became a drop in the ocean by the early 1800s. The amended phrase was then popularized by Charles Dickens in his 1843 book A Christmas Carol when he wrote, “The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
MEANING: someone who is cherished above all else
IN CONTEXT: Her grandson is the apple of her eye.
Apple of your eye is an expression that dates back centuries. In Old English, the pupil of the eye was known as the apple. This was perhaps because it is round, much like an apple. Sight was regarded as the most essential of the senses, and so the apple was cherished and protected. Any damage to it was considered abhorrent. In the figurative sense, it was referred to by King Alfred the Great of Wessex in AD 885, and it was used by Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1605. But its first reference is from the Bible in Deuteronomy 32:10, which reads, “he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”
MEANING: to end all involvement with something
IN CONTEXT: The project had dragged on for six years and Kerry couldn’t wait to wash her hands of it.
While the expression is not directly stated, wash your hands of it derives from Matthew 27:24 in the Bible. In the trial of Jesus, Pontius Pilate was in charge of sentencing. But he refused to condemn Jesus and declared to the crowd that Jesus was innocent. Pilate saw that his pleas were being ignored and an uproar was starting. The people demanded an execution, and, not wanting to be a part of it, Pilate takes a bowl of water and washes his hands, announcing, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your responsibility.”
MEANING: proper conduct and moral integrity
IN CONTEXT: Ever since getting out of jail, Carl had been on the straight and narrow.
Straight and narrow is a phrase that comes from the Bible. It was formally “strait and narrow,” with strait meaning “narrow or confining,” as in a straitjacket. Matthew 7:14 reads, “Broad is the way that is the path of destruction but strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to the house of God.” It describes the way and the gate to Heaven as being narrow, meaning that one must tread carefully in order to make it there and enter.
MEANING: a hostile or dangerous place or situation, particularly because of the people there
IN CONTEXT: My work interview was with three of the top professionals in the city. I felt like I was walking into the lions’ den.
Enter the lions’ den originates from the story of Daniel in the Lions’ Den, from Daniel 6:16 in the Old Testament. In the story, Daniel is betrayed and sentenced to death for publicly praying to his own God. While he was a friend of Daniel’s, the King has no choice but to condemn Daniel to death. “So the King gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The King said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” At daybreak, the King hurried back to see if God had saved his friend. Daniel remained unscathed, and said that God had sent an angel to close the jaws of the lions. The King then cast those who conspired against Daniel into the lions’ den.
MEANING: the people who are in authority
IN CONTEXT: I have put my application in and am just waiting for the powers that be to make a decision.
The powers that be is another phrase that derives from the Bible. Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul submit himself unto the authority of the higher powers. For there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resists power, resists the ordinance of God.”
MEANING: an action that will lead to certain failure
IN CONTEXT: When the major banks all hinted that they might raise interest rates, it was like a kiss of death to the stock market.
Kiss of death began with the Bible and the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. In Matthew 26:47-49, Judas Iscariot kisses Jesus on the cheek as a way of identifying him to the Roman soldiers. As a result of that kiss, Jesus was arrested and crucified. This practice found its way to the Mafia bosses of Sicily. A kiss from the Don meant the person would soon be killed. Originally known as a “Judas kiss,” the expression was changed in the 1940s.
MEANING: pure happiness; truly delighted
IN CONTEXT: It had been a long flight to Mexico, but as I lazed on the beach with a cold drink I was truly in seventh heaven.
In seventh heaven owes its origins to the religions of Islam and Judaism. According to Muslim beliefs, there are seven heavens, each depicted as being made of a different material with prophets resident in each. The first heaven is made of silver and is the home of Adam and Eve. The second heaven is made of gold, and in it resides John the Baptist and Jesus. The heavens keep rising, with the sixth being the home of Moses. The seventh heaven is the most glorious of all and is occupied by Abraham, who presides over everything. Jewish mysticism also embraces the concept of seven heavens, with the seventh being the most exalted and the home of God and his holy angels, a place of complete and eternal bliss.
MEANING: incompetent people advising or guiding others who are equally incapable
IN CONTEXT: Gary was never any good at tennis, but now he’s coaching his young son. That’s a case of the blind leading the blind.
Blind leading the blind is an expression from the Bible, but it may have an earlier source. One of Jesus’s teachings from Matthew 15:14 reads, “Let them alone: They be blind leaders of blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” It is thought that the Bible took the phrase from the Upanishads, which were sacred Hindu treatises written as far back as 800 BC. The ancient text of Katha Upanishad includes this line: “Abiding in the midst of ignorance, thinking themselves wise and learned, fools go aimlessly hither and thither, like blind led by the blind.”