The Origin Of English Phrases: Biblical Sayings

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Bite The Dust

Phrase Origins Bible - bite the dust

When you hear the phrase “bite the dust” you’re more likely to think of Buffalo Bill (or Freddy Mercury) than Jesus, but it seems it had its first airing thanks to the Bible. In the KJV Psalms 72 it reads:

“They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him and his enemies shall lick the dust.”

So they’re licking rather than biting, but that’s the first reference. The same phrase is used in Homer’s epic poem The Iliad written in 700 BC, but that was originally written in Greek and wasn’t translated into English until the 19th century.

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