man of the cloth

man of the cloth

A priest or clergyman. Ever since he was young, John knew he wanted to become a man of the cloth.

See also: cloth, man, of

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

man of the cloth

Fig. a clergyman. Father Brown is a man of the cloth and is welcome at our table for dinner every Sunday.

See also: cloth, man, of

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

man of the cloth

a clergyman.

Jonathan Swift used cloth as an informal term for the clerical profession in the early 18th century, but it was earlier applied to several other occupations for which distinctive clothing was worn, e.g. the legal or military professions.

See also: cloth, man, of

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

a ˌman of ˈGod/the ˈcloth

(old-fashioned, formal) a religious man, especially a priest or a clergyman

See also: cloth, god, man, of

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017