like a lamb to the slaughter

Idioms & Phrases

like a lamb to the slaughter

Also, as lambs to the slaughter. Innocently and helplessly, without realizing the danger. For example, She agreed to appeal to the board, little knowing she would go like a lamb to the slaughter. This expression appears in several biblical books (Isaiah, Jeremiah), and the simile itself was used by Chaucer.

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