Abraham


in Abraham's bosom

In heaven (deceased). After a long, terrible fight with cancer, my mother is finally at peace in Abraham's bosom.See also: bosom

sham Abraham

obsolete To feign mental or physical illness or distress, so as to avoid work. Used especially among seamen. "Abraham men" were a class of beggars who would roam the country pretending madness so that strangers might take pity on them and offer them alms. It came to light that the boatswain had shammed Abraham, under the pretenses of consumption or some such wasting illness, so that he might remain at shore and drink up the profits from his previous voyage. He tore off his clothes and raved like a lunatic, but I could tell by the clarity in his eye that he was shamming Abraham to avoid conscription into the local militia.See also: Abraham, sham

Abraham's bosom

figurative Where the righteous go after death. The phrase alludes to Abraham, the first Biblical patriarch. I know it's a sad time, but we just have to keep in mind that Grandma is in a much better place now, at Abraham's bosom, than in the hospital.See also: bosom

in Abraham's bosom

in heaven, the place of rest for the souls of the blessed. dated The phrase is taken from Luke 16:22: ‘And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom’. In the Bible, Abraham was the Hebrew patriarch from whom all Jews traced their descent.See also: bosom