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No peace for the wicked

Posted by ESC on June 14, 2005

In Reply to: Is 'no rest for the wicked' socially appropriate? posted by ESC on June 14, 2005

: : If you're in contact with someone who tells you they have been working really hard, and are determined to get as much work done as possible, is it socially appropiate to respond with 'no rest for the wicked'? I take this phrase to mean 'no rest for overly determined and enthusiatic souls'? Am I correct to use the phrase in this social context?

: If someone said to me, I would consider it a joke. I'm not sure about the origin and original meaning.

Here it is:

NO REST FOR THE WICKED -- "Nothing ever lets up around me: ;things are always popping. In England it is often 'no peace for the wicked.' In any case, the saying derives from the Bible (Isaiah 48:22 and 57:21), where it appears without the modern irony: 'There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.'" From The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers (Wings Books, Originally New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985).

See: the meaning and origin of the phrase 'No rest for the wicked'.

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