in someone's bad graces
noun
1.
elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action: We watched her skate with effortless grace across the ice. Synonyms: attractiveness, charm, gracefulness, comeliness, ease, lissomeness, fluidity. Antonyms: stiffness, ugliness, awkwardness, clumsiness; klutziness.
2.
a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment: He lacked the manly graces.
3.
favor or goodwill. Synonyms: kindness, kindliness, love, benignity; condescension.
4.
a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior: It was only through the dean's grace that I wasn't expelled from school. Synonyms: forgiveness, charity, mercifulness. Antonyms: animosity, enmity, disfavor.
5.
mercy; clemency; pardon: He was saved by an act of grace from the governor. Synonyms: lenity, leniency, reprieve. Antonyms: harshness.
6.
favor shown in granting a delay or temporary immunity.
7.
an allowance of time after a debt or bill has become payable granted to the debtor before suit can be brought against him or her or a penalty applied: The life insurance premium is due today, but we have 31 days' grace before the policy lapses. Compare grace period.
8.
Theology.
a.
the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
b.
the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.
c.
a virtue or excellence of divine origin: the Christian graces.
d.
Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect.
9.
moral strength: the grace to perform a duty.
10.
11.
( usually initial capital letter ) a formal title used in addressing or mentioning a duke, duchess, or archbishop, and formerly also a sovereign (usually preceded by your, his, etc.).
12.
Graces, Classical Mythology. the goddesses of beauty, daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, worshiped in Greece as the Charities and in Rome as the Gratiae.
13.
Music. grace note.
verb (used with object)
14.
to lend or add grace to; adorn: Many fine paintings graced the rooms of the house. Synonyms: embellish, beautify, deck, decorate, ornament; enhance, honor. Antonyms: disfigure, desecrate, demean.
15.
to favor or honor: to grace an occasion with one's presence. Synonyms: glorify, elevate, exalt. Antonyms: disrespect, dishonor.
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In someone's bad graces
is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
16.
but for the grace of God, under less fortunate circumstances: But for the grace of God, the brick that just fell from the roof would have hit me on the head!
17.
by the grace of God, thankfully; fortunately: By the grace of God, I won't have to deal with tax returns for another year.
18.
fall from grace,
a.
Theology. to relapse into sin or disfavor.
b.
to lose favor; be discredited: He fell from grace when the boss found out he had lied.
19.
have the grace to, to be so kind as to: Would you have the grace to help, please?
20.
in someone's good/bad graces, regarded with favor (or disfavor) by someone: It is a wonder that I have managed to stay in her good graces this long.
Origin:
1125–75; Middle English < Old French < Latin grātia favor, kindness, esteem, derivative of grātus pleasing
1125–75; Middle English < Old French < Latin grātia favor, kindness, esteem, derivative of grātus pleasing
Related forms
grace·like, adjective
un·graced, adjective
Word story
¡Gracias! Grazie! When a Spanish or Italian speaker says thanks, they are invoking one of the meanings behind the word grace. That’s because grace, gracias, and grazie all descend from the same Latin word, grātia.
For the ancient Romans, grātia had three distinct meanings: (1) a pleasing quality, (2) favor or goodwill, and (3) gratitude or thanks. We find all three of these meanings in modern-day English. The first when we describe someone as having (or not having) grace: “Dancing, she had all the grace of an elephant on skates.” The second when we talk about giving or getting grace: “by the grace of God.” And the third when we say grace (i.e., “thanks”) at a meal.
So if you have something to be grateful for, you can say thank-you, grātia, gracias, or grazie. Just make sure you don’t give that something a coup de grâce.
¡Gracias! Grazie! When a Spanish or Italian speaker says thanks, they are invoking one of the meanings behind the word grace. That’s because grace, gracias, and grazie all descend from the same Latin word, grātia.
For the ancient Romans, grātia had three distinct meanings: (1) a pleasing quality, (2) favor or goodwill, and (3) gratitude or thanks. We find all three of these meanings in modern-day English. The first when we describe someone as having (or not having) grace: “Dancing, she had all the grace of an elephant on skates.” The second when we talk about giving or getting grace: “by the grace of God.” And the third when we say grace (i.e., “thanks”) at a meal.
So if you have something to be grateful for, you can say thank-you, grātia, gracias, or grazie. Just make sure you don’t give that something a coup de grâce.
Popular references
—Amazing Grace: A hymn written by English clergyman John Newton, who participated in the slave trade before finding religion.
—Grace: Jeff Buckley’s sole studio album, released in 1994, just three years before his early death.
—Amazing Grace: A hymn written by English clergyman John Newton, who participated in the slave trade before finding religion.
—Grace: Jeff Buckley’s sole studio album, released in 1994, just three years before his early death.
Related Quotations
“When a person expends the least amount of motion on one action, that is grace.“
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Complete Works and Letters in Thirty Volumes, Letters, vol. 8, p. 11, “Nauka” (1976)
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Complete Works and Letters in Thirty Volumes, Letters, vol. 8, p. 11, “Nauka” (1976)
“Jesus, help me find my proper place. / Help in my weakness, ’cause I’ve fallen out of grace.“
—Lou Reed, “Jesus“ The Velvet Underground (1969)
—Lou Reed, “Jesus“ The Velvet Underground (1969)
“When a clergyman is present, he is asked to say grace, often after everyone is seated. But in the case of a friend, he should be asked in advance if he would like to say grace.“
—Nancy Tuckerman & Nancy Dunnan, The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette (1995)
—Nancy Tuckerman & Nancy Dunnan, The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette (1995)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To in someone's bad graces
Collins
World English Dictionary
grace (ɡreɪs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | elegance and beauty of movement, form, expression, or proportion |
| 2. | a pleasing or charming quality |
| 3. | goodwill or favour |
| 4. | the granting of a favour or the manifestation of goodwill, esp by a superior |
| 5. | a sense of propriety and consideration for others |
| 6. | (plural) |
| a. affectation of manner (esp in the phrase airs and graces) | |
| b. in someone's good graces regarded favourably and with kindness by someone | |
| 7. | mercy; clemency |
| 8. | Christianity |
| a. the free and unmerited favour of God shown towards man | |
| b. the divine assistance and power given to man in spiritual rebirth and sanctification | |
| c. the condition of being favoured or sanctified by God | |
| d. an unmerited gift, favour, etc, granted by God | |
| 9. | a short prayer recited before or after a meal to invoke a blessing upon the food or give thanks for it |
| 10. | music a melodic ornament or decoration |
| 11. | See days of grace |
| 12. | with bad grace, with a bad grace unwillingly or grudgingly |
| 13. | with good grace, with a good grace willingly or cheerfully |
| —vb | |
| 14. | (tr) to add elegance and beauty to: flowers graced the room |
| 15. | (tr) to honour or favour: to grace a party with one's presence |
| 16. | to ornament or decorate (a melody, part, etc) with nonessential notes |
| [C12: from Old French, from Latin grātia, from grātus pleasing] | |
| Grace1 (ɡreɪs) | |
| —n (preceded by your, his, | |
| a title used to address or refer to a duke, duchess, or archbishop | |
| Grace2 (ɡreɪs) | |
| —n | |
| W(illiam) G(ilbert). 1848--1915, English cricketer | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
grace
late 12c., "God's favor or help," from O.Fr. grace "pleasing quality, favor, good will, thanks," from L. gratia "pleasing quality, good will, gratitude," from gratus "pleasing, agreeable," from PIE base *gwer- "to praise, welcome" (cf. Skt. grnati "sings, praises, announces," Lith. giriu "to praise,
celebrate," Avestan gar- "to praise"). Sense of "virtue" is early 14c., that of "beauty of form or movement, pleasing quality" is mid-14c. In classical sense, "one of the three sister goddesses (L. Gratiæ, Gk. Kharites), bestowers of beauty and charm," it is first recorded in English 1579 in Spenser. The short prayer that is said before or after a meal (early 13c., until 16c. usually graces) is in the sense of "gratitude." Verb meaning "to show favor" (mid-15c.) led to that of "to lend or add grace to something" (1580s, e.g. grace us with your presence), which is the root of the musical sense in grace notes (1650s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Easton
Bible Dictionary
Grace definition
(1.) Of form or person (Prov. 1:9; 3:22; Ps. 45:2). (2.) Favour, kindness, friendship (Gen. 6:8; 18:3; 19:19; 2 Tim. 1:9). (3.) God's forgiving mercy (Rom. 11:6; Eph. 2:5). (4.) The gospel as distinguished from the law (John 1:17; Rom. 6:14; 1 Pet. 5:12). (5.) Gifts freely bestowed by God; as miracles, prophecy, tongues (Rom. 15:15; 1 Cor. 15:10; Eph. 3:8). (6.) Christian virtues (2 Cor. 8:7; 2 Pet. 3:18). (7.) The glory hereafter to be revealed (1 Pet. 1:13).
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
in someone's bad graces
Also, in someone's bad books. Out of favor with someone. For example, Harry's tardiness put him in the teacher's bad graces, or Making fun of the director is bound to get you in his bad books. The use of grace in the sense of "favor" dates from the 1400s; the use of books dates from the early 1800s. Also see black book, def. 1; in someone's good graces.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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