betray with a kiss en · VERB
Etymology
The term comes from the Gospel of Luke chapter 22, verse 48 of the New Testament: ⁴⁷ While He was still speaking, a crowd arrived, led by the man called Judas, one of the Twelve. He approached Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸ But Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” The Gospel of Luke, Berean Standard Bible.
Meanings
- (qualifier:set phrase) Of Judas, to kiss Jesus so as to discreetly signal to Roman soldiers that Jesus was the Christ, and as such was the one to be arrested.
-
(idiomatic) To betray someone in a seemingly inconspicuous or innocuous manner.
One man caught on a barbed-wire fence; one man, he resist[s]. One man washed on an empty beach; one man betrayed with a kiss.
1984 October 1, “Pride (In The Name Of Love)”, in The Unforgettable Fire, performed by U2:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| betrayed with a kiss | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| betrayed with a kiss | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| betraying with a kiss | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| betrays with a kiss | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |