nature of the beast

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

nature of the beast

1. (idiomatic, with "the") The unchangeable nature of something.
   • 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:

     This slight way of treating both his book and his ancestors nettled little Puddock – who never himself took a liberty, and expected similar treatment – but he knew Sturk, the nature of the beast, and he only bowed grandly […]

   • 1884, Frank de Yeaux Carpenter, Round About Rio:

     "A little slow, that's all; but that's the nature of the beast."

Translations

unchangeable nature

• Dutch: aard van het beestje m
• Finnish: kuulua luontoon (verb phrase: "to be the nature of the beast"), todellinen luonne (unidiomatic)
• French: ordre des choses (fr) m
• Polish: natura sprawy f

See also

• different animal (different beast)