rain fire and brimstone en · VERB
Pronunciation
- /ˈɹeɪn ˈfaɪ.ə(ɹ)(ə)n ˈbɹɪmˌstəʊn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
- /ˈɹeɪn ˈfaɪɚ(ə)n ˈbɹɪmˌstoʊn/ (General-American)
- (General-American) audio
- /ɹeɪn ˈfaɪɹ(ə)n ˈbɹɪmˌstəʊn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
A reference to the The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, →OCLC, Psalms 11:6: “Upon the wicked hee [God] shall raine snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.”
Meanings
-
(idiomatic, transitive) To send horror or destruction.
Cyrus Barron straightened to his full height and looked for all the world like some old revival preacher raining fire and brimstone on his congregation.
2015, Silver James, chapter 17, in Cowgirls Don’t Cry (Harlequin Desire), Don Mills, Ont.: Harlequin Enterprises, →ISBN, page 178:Yet, if [Chris] Colabello is clean and this really was an accident, then he’d better fight the results with all his might. He’d better rain fire and brimstone down on supplement companies.
2016 April 23, Dirk Hayhurst, “Colabello’s entire fairy tale now under suspicion”, in The Sports Network, archived from the original on 25 Jul 2016:"After punching him, and making a report, how do I go back and with a ridiculous question like that?" / "Unless you think I am lying you have to. You have no choice." / "What if I don't?" / "I will rain fire and brimstone on you."
2012 March 26, William deGraftColeman, chapter 19, in The Gods Declare, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 206:Even before the global financial crisis flared up, various critics and interested parties rained fire and brimstone upon globalization on several counts. Globalization hampered efforts to shield the environment and lift the living standards of workers. In developed countries cheap foreign imports seemingly turned domestic workers out of doors.
2013, Larry Allen, “Overview”, in The Global Economic Crisis: A Chronology, London: Reaktion Books, →ISBN, pages 9–10:That day I raised my hand and swore obedience and loyalty to God, country and the Marine Corps, not necessarily in that order, and promised to rain fire and brimstone upon all enemies happened to be only two weeks after the buildup of troops began in Vietnam with the landing of the Ninth Marine Expeditionary Brigade at Da Nang on 9 March 1965.
2003, Ray Hildreth, Charles W. Sasser, chapter 1, in Hill 488, New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, →ISBN, pages 20–21:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| rained fire and brimstone | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| rained fire and brimstone | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| rains fire and brimstone | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| raining fire and brimstone | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (4)
sk chrliť oheň a síru (to send horror and destruction) · cs dštít oheň a síru (to send horror and destruction) · cs chrlit oheň a síru (to send horror and destruction) · lv līt ugunij un sēram (to send horror and destruction)