ash (redirected from ashing)

rise from the ashes

Fig. [for a structure] to be rebuilt after destruction. The entire west section of the city was destroyed and a group of new buildings rose from the ashes in only a few months. Will the city rise again from the ashes? No one knows.

See also: rise

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rake over the ashes

to think about or to talk about unpleasant events from the past

Usage notes: Ashes are what is left of something after it has been destroyed by fire.

There is no point in raking over the ashes now, you did what you thought was right at the time.

See also: rake

sackcloth and ashes  (slightly formal)

if you wear sackcloth and ashes, you show by your behaviour that you are very sorry for something you did wrong

Usage notes: In the past, clothes made of sackcloth (= a rough cloth) were worn by the Jews in religious activities to show that they were sad or sorry for the things they had done wrong.

I've already apologized. How long must I wear sackcloth and ashes before you'll forgive me?

See also: and