Creature comforts

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on June 30, 2007

In Reply to: Creature comforts posted by Denis on June 29, 2007

: Creature comforts. What is the origin of the phrase? Many dictionaries define it but do not say where it comes from.

Man is presumed to consist of body and soul, the "creature" being the body, as opposed to the soul, which is the divine spark. Thus "creature comforts" are those which nourish the body - food, liquor, warmth, etc - as opposed to those such as love, companionship, sympathy, and so on, which nourish the soul. (VSD)