give chapter and verse
chapter and verse
In thorough and exact detail. Likened to the ability to quote a passage of Scripture by citing the exact chapter and verse where it appears. If you need to be updated on the case, ask Stan—he can cite it chapter and verse. I know the manual chapter and verse. Which part are you looking for?
give chapter and verse
To provide full, specific, and authoritative information to support some quote, question, or issue at hand. Can also be used with similar verbs such as "offer," "cite," quote," etc. It is a reference to quoting Scripture. Don't try to debate Sarah about physics. She'll give chapter and verse until you realize she's right. You can't be so vague if you want to convince me. You'll have to give chapter and verse.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
chapter and verse
Fig. very specifically detailed, in reference to sources of information. (A reference to the method of referring to biblical text.) He gave chapter and verse for his reasons for disputing that Shakespeare had written the play. The suspect gave chapter and verse of his associate's activities.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
chapter and verse
The precise authority backing up a statement or view; established rules for or detailed information about something. For example, You can't withdraw a card after you've played it; I'll cite you the rules, chapter and verse . The term alludes to the chapter and verse of a quotation from the Bible, long regarded as an ultimate authority. [Early 1600s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
chapter and verse
If you give someone chapter and verse on a subject, you tell them all the details of it, without missing anything out. It gives chapter and verse on how to select a product. When we expressed doubts they handed us the proof, chapter and verse. Note: This expression refers to the practice of giving precise chapter and verse numbers when quoting passages from the Bible.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
chapter and verse
an exact reference or authority.Chapter and verse was originally used to refer to the numbering of passages in the Bible. It is now also used more generally to refer to any (usually written) authority for something.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
ˌchapter and ˈverse
the exact details of something, especially the exact place where particular information may be found: I can’t give you chapter and verse, but I can tell you that the lines she quoted come from a Brecht play.This originally referred to books of the Bible, which are divided into chapters with numbered divisions called verses.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
chapter and verse
mod. in the finest detail. (From the chapter and verse organization of the Bible.) He could recite the law concerning state-funded libraries, chapter and verse.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
chapter and verse, cite/give
Back up a statement or belief by citing the precise authority on which it is based. The chapter and verse refer to the Bible, which was long considered the ultimate authority, and was (and is) frequently quoted by the clergy with precise attribution to the exact chapter and verse. The figurative use, referring to any established set of rules, dates from the seventeenth century and was long very common, but is heard less often today.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer