| 释义 |
mess of pottage
Thesaurus| Noun | 1. | mess of pottage - anything of trivial value; "Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage"economic value, value - the amount (of money or goods or services) that is considered to be a fair equivalent for something else; "he tried to estimate the value of the produce at normal prices" |
mess of pottage
mess of pottageSomething of little, trivial, or no value but which appears to be attractive or valuable on first reckoning. An allusion to Esau in Genesis 25:29–32, who sells to Jacob his birthright to his family's estate for a bowl of lentil stew (pottage). Only after the economic crash did it become fully clear what messes of pottage these sub-prime mortgages proved to be for first-time homeowners. If we allow our obsession with job creation to undermine the health of the environment, humanity will ultimately end up selling its birthright for a mess of pottage.See also: mess, of, pottagea mess of pottage LITERARY, OLD-FASHIONEDIf someone exchanges something of lasting value for a mess of pottage, they foolishly exchange it for something of no lasting value. I think he has sold his soul for a mess of pottage. Note: A mess of pottage is a dish of vegetables. This expression comes from a story in the Bible, which tells how Esau was hungry and sold his privileges as first-born son to his brother Jacob in return for this meal. (Genesis 25:29-33) See also: mess, of, pottagemess of pottage
mess of pottagehungry Esau sells birthright for broth. [O.T.: Genesis 25:29–34]See: Briberymess of pottage
Words related to mess of pottagenoun anything of trivial valueRelated Words |