fall from grace

fall from grace 

1. . Lit. to sin and get on the wrong side of God. (A Christian concept.) It was either fall from grace or starve from lack of money. That's how thieves are made. Given the choice between falling from grace and starving, few people choose to starve.

2. Fig. to do something wrong and get in trouble with someone other than God. I hear that Ted lost the Wilson contract and has fallen from grace with the boss. The accounting firm has fallen from grace and the board is looking for a new one.

See also: fall, grace

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fall from grace

to do something bad which makes people in authority stop liking you or admiring you When a celebrity falls from grace, they can find it very difficult to get work in television.

See also: fall, grace

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fall from grace

to lose your reputation or rank After 12 years in power, the party has fallen from grace with voters.

Usage notes: often used as a noun phrase: His fall from grace began when FBI agents searched his home.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of fall from grace (to lose the approval and protection of God), which happened to Adam and Eve in the Bible

See also: fall, grace