swear on a stack of Bibles

Slang Dictionary

swear on a stack of Bibles definition

in.
to make a very solemn pledge of one's honesty. (Folksy. Official oaths are sometimes taken with one hand on a Bible. This phrase implies that more Bibles make an even stronger oath.) : I swear on a stack of Bibles that I was in Atlanta on the night of January sixteenth.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

swear on a stack of Bibles

Promise solemnly that what one is about to say is true, as in I swear on a stack of Bibles that I had nothing to do with his dropping out. This term alludes to the practice of placing one's hand on a sacred object while taking an oath, which dates from the mid-10th century. It is still followed in courts of law where a witness being sworn to tell the truth places a hand on the Bible. [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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00:10

Swear on a stack of Bibles is always a great word to know.

So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

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