fate worse than death, a



fate worse than death, a

A highly undesirable occurrence, a misfortune, as in Dean thinks driving daily during rush hour is a fate worse than death. Formerly applied quite seriously to a woman's loss of virginity, this idiom today is used hyperbolically and far more loosely. [1600s]
See also: fate, worse

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
LouieLOO-eeEnglish
Jagannath-Indian, Hindi
JakubYAH-kuwp (Polish)Polish, Czech, Slovak
Bonaventurebawn-ə-VEN-chər (English)History
Yasuyah-sooJapanese
Kleopatra-Ancient Greek