get thee behind me en · X
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Originally uttered by Christ in the King James Bible, Matthew 16:23: “get thee behind me, Satan”; Latin vāde retrō, Satanā; Ancient Greek ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ (húpage opísō mou, Satanâ).
Meanings
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(idiomatic) Do not tempt or torment me; I reject you, your statements, or your beliefs.
“Jesu Maria!” exclaimed the younger. “Oh, fie, Sister Seraphina! Fie, fie!--VADE RETRO--get thee behind me!”
1824, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 16, in Redgauntlet:Get thee behind me, Derrida! Skeptical postmodernists may have reduced the certainties of Western intellectual life to a pile of gaudy plastic tchotchkes, but Pope John Paul II is fighting back.
1998 October 15, Tony Karon, “Postmodern Papacy?”, in Time, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2016:Peter most assuredly would have risen in his wrath, would have said to his distinguished-looking temptress, "Get thee behind me, Miss Ramsbotham."
1904, Jerome K. Jerome, chapter 4, in Tommy and Co.:Get thee behind me, Santa. Curious news from Germany, where a group has launched a campaign to persuade people to turn their backs on Santa Claus and return to St Nicholas instead.
2005 November 26, Ian Irvine, “btw”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 25 Aug 2015: