The Good Samaritan Bites the Dust

The Amazing Way the Bible Influences Our Everyday Language

Ferdie Addis

• Publisher: Michael O'Mara
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9781843177845
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Ever claimed that there is 'no rest for the wicked', judged something as 'sour grapes', or rallied friends by shouting 'eat, drink and be merry'? Knowingly or not, you have been quoting from the Bible. The English language features countless biblically-derived phrases that are used by people on a day-to-day basis, yet the user often does not know the origin or meaning behind them. However, there is a wealth of fascinating stories and history to be learned. The Good Samaritan Bites the Dust offers a light-hearted and fascinating look at the stories behind the expressions - explaining where in the Bible these familiar phrases appear and describing the colourful biblical backdrop to their origination, from epic battles to acts of betrayal, miracles and beyond. For those familiar, and not so familiar with the Bible, this is a wonderful look at the gripping storytelling and cultural wealth to be found in the world's bestselling book, as well as an intriguing insight into our language.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Adam’s Apple
• Amen to That
• An Apocryphal Story
• The Apple of My Eye
• Après Moi le Déluge
• No Balm in Gilead
• A Baptism of Fire
• Be All Things to All Men
• The Beam in Your Own Eye
• Bear the Mark of Cain
• To Beard the Lion
• To Beat Swords into Ploughshares
• A Behemoth
• It’s Better to Give Than to Receive
• Bite the Dust
• The Blind Leading the Blind
• Breathe Life into Something
• Cast Pearls Before Swine
• Cover a Multitude of Sins
• A Cross to Bear
• To Crucify
• My Cup Runneth Over
• A Damascene Conversion
• A David and Goliath Contest
• David and Jonathan
• A Disciple
• Do As You Would Be Done By
• A Doubting Thomas
• A Drop in the Bucket
• Eat, Drink and Be Merry
• The Ends of the Earth
• An Epiphany
• Escape by the Skin of One’s Teeth
• To Every Thing There is a Season
• An Eye for an Eye
• Eyeless in Gaza
• Fall from Grace
• Fall on Stony Ground
• The Fat of the Land
• Feet of Clay
• Fight the Good Fight
• A Fig Leaf
• Fire and Brimstone
• A Fleshpot
• Forbidden Fruit
• The Fruit of One’s Loins
• Gall and Wormwood
• Get Thee Behind Me, Satan
• To Gird One’s Loins
• Give Someone the Evil Eye
• Give Up the Ghost
• Go from Strength to Strength
• Go the Way of All Flesh
• Go to Jericho
• A Good Samaritan
• A Hail Mary Pass
• Hallelujah
• To Harden One’s Heart
• To Have the Patience of Job
• He Who Increases Knowledge Increases Sorrow
• One’s Heart’s Desire
• To Hide One’s Talent Under a Bushel
• Holier Than Thou
• A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand
• How Are the Mighty Fallen
• I Am What I Am
• A Jeremiad
• A Jeroboam
• A Jezebel
• A Jonathan
• A Judas
• Jumping Jehoshaphat
• Kick Against the Pricks
• Kiss of Death
• Kiss of Life
• A Labour of Love
• A Lamb to the Slaughter
• The Land of Nod
• A Leopard Can’t Change His Spots
• Let He Who is Without Sin Cast the First Stone
• Let Not the Sun Go Down on Your Wrath
• Let There Be Light
• A Lions’ Den
• Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword
• A Living Dog Is Better Than A Dead Lion
• Love Thy Neighbour
• Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone
• A Man of Sorrows
• Man Proposes but God Disposes
• Manna from Heaven
• A Martyr
• A Nest of Vipers
• No Room at the Inn
• No Rest for the Wicked
• Nothing New Under the Sun
• As Old as Methuselah
• Out of the Mouths of Babes
• A Peace Offering
• A Philistine
• Physician, Heal Thyself
• The Powers That Be
• A Prodigal Son
• Put Away Childish Things
• Put Words in Someone’s Mouth
• Quote Chapter and Verse
• Reap the Whirlwind
• You Reap What You Sow
• Red Sky at Night, Shepherds’ Delight. Red Sky in Morning, Shepherds’ Warning
• To Be Someone’s Rock
• The Root of All Evil
• The Salt of the Earth
• To Have the Scales Fall from One’s Eyes
• A Scapegoat
• Separate the Sheep from the Goats
• There’s a Serpent in Every Paradise
• Set One’s House in Order
• Set Someone’s Teeth on Edge
• Seven Deadly Sins
• A Sign of the Times
• A Slaughter of the Innocents
• Sod’s Law
• A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath
• The Straight and Narrow
• The Sin of Onan
• The Spirit is Willing, But the Flesh is Weak
• Take Up the Mantle
• Tender Mercies
• A Thorn in the Flesh
• Threescore and Ten
• A Tower of Babel
• A Tree Shall Be Known by Its Fruit
• Turn One’s Face to the Wall
• Turn the Other Cheek
• A Two-Edged Sword
• The Wages of Sin
• To Want Someone’s Head on a Plate
• To Wash One’s Hands of Something
• To Be Weighed in the Balance
• As White as Snow
• The Wisdom of Solomon
• A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
• The Writing’s on the Wall
• Ye of Little Faith
• You Cannot Serve God and Mammon
• Bibliography