slaughter
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like a lamb being led to (the) slaughter
Quietly or obediently, without concern for or knowledge of some danger or trouble that one is facing. When I did business with Michael, I was like a lamb being led to the slaughter—I had no idea he was such a criminal mastermind. The poor kid and his defense team had no idea what the prosecution had in store—it was like lambs being led to the slaughter the moment the trial began. The six employees were unaware the meetings were to tell them they'd been laid off, and they each marched down to the meeting room like a lamb being led to slaughter.
like a lamb to (the) slaughter
Without concern for what is to come (because one does not foresee the trouble ahead). This phrase comes from the Bible. When I did business with Michael, I was like a lamb to the slaughter—I had no idea he was such a criminal mastermind. The poor kid and his defense team weren't aware of what the prosecution had in store—it was like lambs to slaughter the moment the trial began.
like a pig being led to (the) slaughter
Quietly or obediently, without concern for or knowledge of some danger or trouble that one is facing. An uncommon variant of "like a lamb to (the) slaughter." When I worked with Michael, he manipulated me into venturing into all sorts of shady and downright illegal ventures, like a pig being led to the slaughter. The poor kid and his defense team had no idea what the prosecution had in store—it was like a pig being led to the slaughter the moment the trial began. The six employees were unaware the meetings were to tell them they'd been laid off, and they each marched down to the meeting room like a pig being led to slaughter.
like a pig to (the) slaughter
Quietly or obediently, without concern for or knowledge of some danger or trouble that one is facing. An uncommon variant of "like a lamb to (the) slaughter." When I worked with Michael, he manipulated me into venturing into all sorts of shady and downright illegal ventures, like a pig to the slaughter. The poor kid and his defense team had no idea what the prosecution had in store—it was like a pig to the slaughter the moment the trial began. The six employees were unaware the meetings were to tell them they'd been laid off, and they each marched down to the meeting room like a pig to slaughter.
slaughtered
slang Extremely drunk. They kept pushing shots in front of me because it was my birthday, so I was totally slaughtered by the end of the night. We went into the first bar we could find and got slaughtered on the cheapest booze they had.
See also: slaughter
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
like lambs to the slaughter
and like a lamb to the slaughterFig. quietly and without seeming to realize the likely difficulties or dangers of a situation. Young men fighting in World War I simply went like lambs to the slaughter. Our team went on the football field like lambs to the slaughter to meet the league-leaders.
like pigs to the slaughter
Rur. obediently and in large numbers. (See also like lambs to the slaughter.) Look at all the people lining up to mail their tax forms on time, like pigs to the slaughter.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
like a lamb to the slaughter
Also, as lambs to the slaughter. Innocently and helplessly, without realizing the danger. For example, She agreed to appeal to the board, little knowing she would go like a lamb to the slaughter . This expression appears in several biblical books (Isaiah, Jeremiah), and the simile itself was used by Chaucer.
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.
like a lamb to the slaughter
If someone goes somewhere like a lamb to the slaughter, they go there quietly and obediently because they have not realized that it will be dangerous or unpleasant, or because they are powerless. His young bride walked down the aisle like a lamb to the slaughter. Note: People sometimes use sheep instead of lamb. I had no idea what the interview would be like and went to it like a sheep to the slaughter.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
like a lamb to the slaughter
as a helpless victim.This expression is found in the Bible in Isaiah 53:7: ‘he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter’, an image later applied to Jesus.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
(like) a lamb/lambs to the ˈslaughter
(do something or go somewhere) without protesting, probably because you do not realize that you are in danger: When the war started, thousands of young men went off to fight, like lambs to the slaughter. Slaughter is the killing of animals for their meat.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
murder
and slaughter tv. to overwhelm; to beat someone in a sports contest. We went out on the field prepared to slaughter them. The murdered us in the second half.
slaughter
verbSee murder
slaughtered
mod. drunk. Garth went out and got himself slaughtered again last night.
See also: slaughter
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
like lambs to the slaughter
Helpless and unaware of danger. This figure of speech first appeared in the Old Testament’s Book of Isaiah (“He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,” 53:7) and again in the Book of Jeremiah (“I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter,” 11:19) and has been repeated ever since. In recent decades it was sometimes changed to like pigs to the slaughter, with essentially the same meaning.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer