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Madhulk Posted 18 years ago
Vocabulary
The thief in the temple...
I did a little research of my own into your unauthorized botany experiment.
Apparently, in 1871, a strange contagion struck the Morelly Settlement,
and 200 people died almost over night. A priest, who witnessed the scene
left a diary. His last entries described how the settlers began acting out
of character. He claimed a local flower was to blame. "On God's green earth,
this flower was the thief in the temple, (the initiator of all sins?)
the silent temptress that, with a single
sneeze, brought out the basest instincts in men and drove them to violence."
Apparently, in 1871, a strange contagion struck the Morelly Settlement,
and 200 people died almost over night. A priest, who witnessed the scene
left a diary. His last entries described how the settlers began acting out
of character. He claimed a local flower was to blame. "On God's green earth,
this flower was the thief in the temple, (the initiator of all sins?)
the silent temptress that, with a single
sneeze, brought out the basest instincts in men and drove them to violence."
Top answer
"The thief in the temple" seems to merely be a poetic metaphor and not an idiom. I'm not sure if the temple that is referenced is part of that metaphor or a literal structure (the diary belonged to a priest after all). Regardless, the usage of "thief" is probably a reflection of the flower figuratively robbing people of their lives.
- "The thief in the temple" seems to merely be a poetic metaphor and not an idiom.
- I'm not sure if the temple that is referenced is part of that metaphor or a literal structure (the diary belonged to a priest after all).
- Regardless, the usage of "thief" is probably a reflection of the flower figuratively robbing people of their lives.
- The ultimate point is simply that the flower is the source of the contagion.
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2 Answers
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"The thief in the temple" seems to merely be a poetic metaphor and not an idiom. I'm not sure if the temple that is referenced is part of that metaphor or a literal structure (the diary belonged to a priest after all). Regardless, the usage of "thief" is probably a reflection of the flower figuratively robbing people of their lives. The ultimate point is simply that the flower is the source of
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