lord of the flies
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Calque of Biblical Hebrew בַּעַל זְבוּב (baʿal zəḇûḇ, “fly-lord, Beelzebub”), which in turn is a mistranslation of the name of the Semitic devil Baal-zevuv.
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]- Beelzebub; Satan
- (idiomatic, biblical) a ruler over a worthless kingdom; leader of a meaningless microcosm.
Usage notes
[edit]The phrase can also be used as an adjective to describe a situation where there is no government and crime is common. This usage is a reference to the book Lord of the Flies and is usually capitalized.