The Devil is the title given to the supernatural being, who, in mainstream Christianity, Islam, and some other religions, is believed to be a powerful, evil entity and the tempter of humankind. Or: the rebellious angel who in Christian belief is the adversary of God and lord of evil.
The Devil has many different names:
Satan
Lucifer
Beelzebub
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If you really want to learn English, learn the Bible. Here are four very common phrases from the Bible that you will encounter all of the time.
1. My cup runneth over
Meaning: I have more than enough for my needs. The literal meaning: “I have so much (water, for example) that my cup is overflowing.” This is a way of saying something like “I am very lucky” or “I have been blessed with so much.”
Source: Psalms 23:5
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Usage Examples:
“The parade, on its deathbed a year ago, had spectators along the entire route, said longtime participant Neal Haglund. The snow sculptures, the carnival, the pancake feed — all attracted crowds far bigger than those of recent years. And thousands were on hand for the Running of the Reindeer, video of which is being viewed worldwide.
The Rondy Web site has crashed twice because of heavy traffic, Duck said.
‘Our cup runneth over,’ said Hall, part of a revamped board of directors that is working off a 10-year plan. ‘The whole goal this year was to get people to re-engage, and this community was ready. They just needed to be invited back.’”
2. No rest for the wicked
Meaning: The literal meaning of this phrase is “the bad shall be tormented.” In other words, if you are wicked, you will never be able to rest. But English speakers usually use this phrase in a slighly comic way to talk about themselves when they are busy.
Source: Isaiah 57
57:20 “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”
57:21 “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”
Usage Examples:
Jack: “You are so busy these days.”
Jill: “Well, you know what they say, ‘No rest for the wicked.’”In this case, Jill is implying that she is unable to rest and therefore she must be wicked. This phrase is almost always used in this way (someone says you are busy and you reply “no rest for the wicked.”) It doesn’t have much meaning, really. It is just sort of comical.
3. Physician, heal thyself
Meaning: You should worry about your own faults, rather than criticizing others.
Source: Luke 4:23
“And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.”
Usage Example:
Jack: “I wish you would stop complaining all of the time.”
Jill: “Physician, heal thyself.” (You are always complaining, and you are telling me not to complain??)
Meaning: Disaster or danger is imminent or the signs of disaster are clear. The phrase ‘the writing on the wall’ has come to signify a portent (sign) of doom or the end of an organization or activity. You will sometimes see this phrase modified to “the handwriting is on the wall.”
Source: Daniel 5:5
“In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.”
Usage Examples from the news:
“‘I think the writing was on the wall, so to speak,’ Burris said. ‘We were unable to win states like Missouri and Georgia, where we lost by two, three, four points – but they were winner-take all states,’ he said, adding that Romney’s failure to win delegate-rich California was a big blow.”
“The writing is on the wall. It is not an issue of whether the government should intervene, but how much.”
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