Idioms Involving Prayer and Heaven Quiz

Answer: The heavens opened

The idiom "the heavens opened" refers to a sudden and heavy downpour of rain, and its origin lies in the biblical story of Noah, and the rain that fell for forty days and forty nights. As told in "Genesis" 7:11, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened." Therefore in the modern day, the idiom has become synonymous with extremely heavy rainfall, akin to that which flooded the Earth in the Bible.

Answer: Vomiting

Though one of the coarser idioms I've come across, "praying to the porcelain god" is a rather apt phrase for vomiting. Its creation stems from the (stereotypical} drunken behaviour of college and university students, who, having drunk alcohol to excess can often be found kneeling in front of a toilet bowl, emptying their stomachs. Thought to have been coined in the 1970s, the 'praying' aspect of the idiom points to the body position of the individual, as they kneel on the floor.

Answer: Pennies from heaven

The idiomatic expression "Pennies from heaven" refers to unexpected monetary gain, and is believed to have originated from a 1936 film and song of the same name. Sung by Bing Crosby, the lyrics to the song's Chorus are as follows:

"You must have showers
So when you hear it thunder
Don't run under a tree
There'll be pennies in heaven for you and me"

Answer: On a wing and a prayer

If one is operating "on a wing and a prayer", they are in dire straits and have only the slightest hope of succeeding in their task. The phrase has its roots in a World War Two song written by Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh in 1942, whose lyrics tell of a damaged warplane, which limped "through the air...Comin' in on a wing and a prayer".

However this expression is also frequently misused, and has been incorrectly cited as "on a whim and a prayer" or "on a wink and a prayer", to name just a few.

Answer: Grace

To "fall from grace" is to fall from a respectable position of high esteem. Biblical in origin, this idiom refers to the fall of man, which is illustrated by Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, as told in "Genesis" 2:3-3:24. Having succumbed to temptation and eaten from the only tree that God told them not to eat from, Adam and Eve were subsequently expelled from the Garden of Eden forever.

Answer: No

The idiom "in the lap of the gods" is one which essentially means that the outcome of a particular situation is out of a person's hands. Thought to derive from the ancient practice of placing gifts and offerings on the knees of statues, in order to appease them, the idiom was first mentioned in Homer's Greek epic poem, the "Iliad", which is thought to have been written in the 8th century BC.

Answer: It stinks to high heaven

The idiom "stink to high heaven" means to have a foul odour, so bad that it can be smelled in heaven, which is a considerable distance away. Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare is thought to have coined the term, using it in his famous tragedy "Hamlet". In this play, Hamlet's murderous uncle uses the idiom during a soliloquy, in which he reveals his crime to the audience:

"O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the
primal eldest curse upon it, A brother's murder."
(Act 3,Scene 3)

Answer: Seventh heaven

If a person is in "seventh heaven" then they are experiencing great joy and happiness. The expression has its roots in several different religions, including Hinduism and Islam, both of which teach that there is not one single Heaven, but rather seven of them. Hinduism teaches that there are also seven lower worlds, with the earth being located at the bottom of this hierarchy.

Answer: Events outside of human control

The idiomatic expression "act of God" refers to an occurrence, such as an earthquake or volcanic eruption, which is outside of human control, and cannot be predicted or foreseen. Also a legal term, the phrase is often found in insurance contracts and documents, and in the past, some insurers have used it to avoid paying out a claim. Nevertheless it is in the Bible that the expression has its roots, and can be found in "Exodus" 21:12-13, which states that "Whoever strikes a person mortally shall be put to death. If it was not premeditated, but came about by an act of God, then I will appoint for you a place to which the killer may flee."

Answer: Fools

The expression "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" can be attributed to eighteenth-century, satirical, English poet, Alexander Pope, who first used it in his 1709 poem, "An Essay on Criticism". The phrase essentially means that naïve and ignorant individuals often get themselves embroiled in matters that their wiser counterparts know to avoid.