far be it

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

far be it

1. (idiomatic) A disclaimer stating that something should not come to pass, or that a person would never do or think a certain thing.
   • Template:RQ:Authorized Version Samuel 20:20,

     And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

   • Thomas Carlyle

     Far be it that soe much guilt should sticke to your hands, who live in a citye so renowned for the clere shininge light of the Gospell.

   • Pewtey in Marriage Guidance Counselor from And Now For Something Completely Different

     Deirdre (that's my wife) and I have always been very close companions, and I never particularly anticipated any marital strife. Indeed, the very idea of consulting such a professional marital advisor as yourself has always been of the greatest repugnance to me. Although, (chuckles) far be it from me to impugn the nature of your trade, or ... or profession.

   • 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 7:

     `Far be it from me,' he said, `to tell you, Weston, that any girl you'd find for me would meet with no danger on this expedition."

Usage notes

• In contemporary usage, this phrase is followed by a prepositional phrase using from or for followed by an infinitive, except when used without an explicit infinitive, which is presumed understood from the context.
• It is often followed by a clause introduced by but, e.g. "far be it from me to ____, but ____".

Anagrams

• fair bet, fibrate