far be it
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Calque of Latin absit ("may it be away"), found in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible as part of the phrase absit hoc a me ("may this [thing] be away from me") at 1 Samuel 2:30, 1 Samuel 22:15 and 2 Samuel 20:20. Wyclif translated the phrase "Fer be this fro me"; the King James Version at 2 Samuel 20:20 has "Far be it from me".
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
[edit]- (idiomatic) A disclaimer stating that something should not come to pass, or that a person would never do or think a certain thing.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC:Samuel 20:20,
- And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.
- October 1761, Oliver Cromwell, letter to Mr. Storie
- Far be it that soe much guilt should sticke to your hands, who live in a citye so renowned for the clere shininge light of the Gospell.
- 1969, Eric Idle, "Marriage Guidance Counsellor", in Episode 2 of Monty Python's Flying Circus, also in And Now For Something Completely Different
- Deirdre (that's my wife) and I have always been very close companions, and I never particularly anticipated any marital strife. Indeed, the very idea of consulting such a professional marital advisor as yourself has always been of the greatest repugnance to me. Although, (chuckles) far be it from me to impugn the nature of your trade, or ... or profession.
- 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 7:
- `Far be it from me,' he said, `to tell you, Weston, that any girl you'd find for me would meet with no danger on this expedition."
- 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:
- Shepard: I don't have time for this, Conrad. I'm not here to be a role model.
Conrad Verner: Oh, I see how it is. Commander Shepard doesn't have time for the little people!
Conrad Verner: Far be it for me to get in your way! You go be a hero.
Usage notes
[edit]- In contemporary usage, this phrase is followed by a prepositional phrase using from or for followed by an infinitive, except when used without an explicit infinitive, which is presumed understood from the context.
- It is often followed by a clause introduced by but, e.g. "far be it from me to ____, but ____".
Translations
[edit]Translations
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