Massacre of the Innocents

English

Proper noun

the Massacre of the Innocents

1. (Christianity) The incident in the nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew (2:16–18) in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem.
2. (UK, politics, humorous) The abandonment of potentially useful measures at the end of a session in the House of Commons, since there is no time to pass them.

Translations

Christianity: incident in the nativity narrative

• Dutch: Kindermoord van Bethlehem m
• French: massacre des Innocents (fr) m
• German: Kindermord in Bethlehem m, Bethlehemitischer Kindermord m
• Italian: strage degli innocenti f
• Portuguese: Massacre dos Inocentes m
• Spanish: matanza de los Inocentes f

See also

• Childermas

References

• John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary