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Holier than thou

Posted by Arthur on May 19, 2005

In Reply to: Holier than thou posted by Mark on May 19, 2005

: Did "holier than thou" come from the Bible?

Holier-than-thou, as the lemma is listed in the OED, is apparently not found before the early 20th century and is defined there as "characterized by an attitude of superior sanctity." The OED refers the reader to Isaiah 65:5, but this biblical passage demonstrates the kind of attitude without using the phrase itself.

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