On the side of the angels


Supporting the good side, as in Whatever you may think of him, on important issues he’s usually on the side of the angels. This expression was coined by Benjamin Disraeli in 1864 in a speech about Darwin’s theory that man is descended from apes: “The question is this: Is man an ape or an angel? Now I am on the side of the angels.” Before long it was extended to broader use, specifically to the moral view.

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    Close to, on the brink of, as in I was on the verge of calling the doctor when he suddenly got better, or Sara was on the verge of tears when she heard the news. This term uses verge in the sense of “the brink or border of something.” [ Mid-1800s ]

  • On the way

    1. Also, on one’s way. In the process of coming, going, or traveling; also, about to come. For example, The mail plane is on the way, or She is on her way out the door, or Winter is on the way. 2. On the route of a journey, as in I met him on the […]

  • Onomatopoeic

    [on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‐mah-tuh‐] /ˌɒn əˌmæt əˈpi ə, ‐ˌmɑ tə‐/ noun 1. the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent. 2. a word so formed. 3. the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect. /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə/ noun […]

  • Onomatopoeia

    [on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‐mah-tuh‐] /ˌɒn əˌmæt əˈpi ə, ‐ˌmɑ tə‐/ noun 1. the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent. 2. a word so formed. 3. the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect. /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə/ noun […]


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