a soft answer turneth away wrath
Responding to someone in a calm, humble manner will help assuage their anger or avoid any further trouble. The expression originated in the Bible, in Proverbs 15:1: "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." I know you're really upset over these accusations, but losing your temper with them now will only ensure you lose your job. Remember—a soft answer turneth away wrath. With two parents who were constantly at each others' throats—and all too quick to snap at us as well—I grew up with the knowledge that a soft answer turneth away wrath. A: "Sarah's been working on this project for months, so let's try to break it to her gently that the bosses have decided to scrap it." B: "That's not a bad idea. A soft answer turneth away wrath."
a soft answer turns away wrath
Responding to someone in a calm, humble manner will help assuage their anger or avoid any further trouble. The expression originated in the Bible, in Proverbs 15:1: "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." I know you're really upset over these accusations, but losing your temper with them now will only ensure you lose your job. Remember—a soft answer turns away wrath. With two parents who were constantly at each others' throats—and all too quick to snap at us as well—I grew up with the knowledge that a soft answer turns away wrath. A: "Sarah's been working on this project for months, so let's try to break it to her gently that the bosses have decided to scrap it." B: "That's not a bad idea. A soft answer turns away wrath."
feel like the wrath of God
1. To be or seem extremely damaging, destructive, punitive, etc. The hurricane felt like the wrath of God as it descended on our city. The CEO was furious with us for losing that big client, and his tirade felt like the wrath of God. It felt like the wrath of God had hit the highway when part of it suddenly collapsed.
2. To feel utterly miserable or horribly unwell. We were doing shots of tequila all night long, and I woke up feeling like the wrath of God. Boy, did I feel like the wrath of God when I had the flu. Thank goodness I've finally recovered. A: "You turned 21 yesterday? Well, you must feel like the wrath of God today." B: "Yep, sure do. Ugh."
let not the sun go down on your wrath
proverb Always make amends before the day is done; do not go to sleep angry. I know you're mad at him right now, but let not the sun go down on your wrath, or you'll be stewing in resentment for days to come.
look like the wrath of God
To look wretched or atrocious. I spent hours doing my hair and makeup, but after walking in the rain for an hour, I looked like the wrath of God! I tried making a cake for the first time today. It looked like the wrath of God, but it tasted good!
slow to wrath
Generally calm and reasonable; slow to feel or exhibit anger. The Bible encourages us all to be slow to speak and slow to wrath, which is pretty good advice, honestly. Being slow to wrath will serve you well in marriage, my dear.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
wrath of God, look/feel like the
Look a mess, feel miserable. Originally the wrath of God literally meant the anger of the Almighty, and it appears a number of times in the New Testament. Likening it to human appearance or feelings, however, dates only from the twentieth century. W. R. Duncan used it in The Queen’s Messenger (1982), “Are you ill? You look like the wrath of God.” It has largely replaced a late nineteenth-century synonym, to look like the wreck of the Hesperus, which alludes to a once very popular poem of 1841, “The Wreck of the Hesperus,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (it describes an actual shipwreck off the New England coast).
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer