swear on a stack of Bibles

and swear on one's mother's grave

to state something very earnestly, pledging to tell the truth. (~ a Stack of Bibles refers in an exaggerated way to swearing to tell the truth in court by placing one's hand on a Bible.) I swear on a stack of Bibles that I am telling the truth. Of course, I'm telling the truth. I swear on my mother's grave!

swear on a stack of Bibles

Promise solemnly that what one is about to say is true, as in I swear on a stack of Bibles that I had nothing to do with his dropping out. This term alludes to the practice of placing one's hand on a sacred object while taking an oath, which dates from the mid-10th century. It is still followed in courts of law where a witness being sworn to tell the truth places a hand on the Bible. [Mid-1800s]

swear on a stack of Bibles

in. to make a very solemn pledge of one’s honesty. (Folksy. Official oaths are sometimes taken with one hand on a Bible. This phrase implies that more Bibles make an even stronger oath.) I swear on a stack of Bibles that I was in Atlanta on the night of January sixteenth.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Blackwell	['blæk.wel]
Jeremy	JER-ə-mee (English), JER-mee (English)	English, Biblical
Adela	ə-DEL-ə (English), ah-DE-lah (Polish)	English, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Ancient Germanic
Eunike	-	Biblical Greek, Ancient Greek
Desiree	[deizi:'rei]
Cecilio	the-THEE-lyo (Spanish), se-SEE-lyo (Latin American Spanish), che-CHEE-lyo (Italian)	Spanish, Portuguese, Italian