• About

The Dunedin School

~ (2009 – 2014)

The Dunedin School

Tag Archives: God for clods

God for Clods

20 Wednesday Jan 2010

Posted by Deane in Hebrew Bible, Reception, Slang

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Aaron's rod, Chambers Slang Dictionary, comparative religion, Eve's curse, God for clods, Jonathon Green, zounds!

I noticed this while reading the Chambers Slang Dictionary (2008), by Jonathon “Mr Slang” Green. The slang phrase “God for clods” was allegedly used on U.S. campuses in the 1970s to describe “a course in basic comparative religion”.

Now that offers some groovy rebranding possibilities for RELS 101.

The Chambers Slang Dictionary provides more than a few entries with biblical allusions, most of them sharing a markedly Rabelaisian flavour. It all begins on the very first page, with “Aaron’s rod” (i.e. the penis, a term derived from Aaron’s blooming woody in Num 17.8) and extends through to the archaic “zounds!” (defined as “a euph. excl. lit. ‘God’s wounds'”).

One of the more visceral and memorable slang phrases containing a biblical allusion – of the ones I noticed in this engrossing dictionary – plays on the common and misogynist “menstrual interpretation” of Genesis 3:16, i.e. “the curse” of Eve. Here’s the delightful phrase:

“close as God’s curse to a whore’s arse [late 18C–early 19C] very close”

… yes, very close, indeed.

Tissot - God's Curse

James Jacques Joseph Tissot - 'God's Curse'

Top Posts

  • Cinema as Exorcism (five): Perfume: The Story of a Murderer as the Enlightenment’s Dark Magic
  • J.N. Darby's End-Times Family Tree: Is Dispensationalism from the Bible or Evangelical Tradition?

Categories

  • Academics
  • Atheism and Agnosticism
  • Biblical Studies
    • Angels
    • Eschatology
    • Evil
    • Giants
    • Gnosticism
    • God
    • Hebrew
    • Hebrew Bible
    • Historical Criticism
    • Jesus
    • New Testament
    • Paul
    • Rabbinics
    • Reception History
    • Textual Criticism
  • Buddhism
  • Christianity
    • Theology
  • Conferences & Seminars
  • Dunedin School
  • Ecology
  • Ethics
    • Relativism
  • History
  • Islam
  • justice
  • Language
    • Metaphor
    • Reference
    • Rhetoric
    • Slang
    • Symbol
    • Translation
  • Living
  • News
  • Politics
    • Violence
  • Religion
    • Cults
    • Death
    • Exorcism
    • Faith
    • Fundamentalism
    • Healing
    • Prophecy
    • Purification
    • Rationalization
    • Visions
    • Worship
  • Texts
    • Cartoons
    • Comics
    • Film
    • Fine Art
    • Games
    • Greek
    • Internet
    • Literature
    • Media
    • Music
    • Philosophy
    • Photography
    • Pornography
    • Television
  • Theory
    • Capital
    • Children's rights
    • Continental Philosophy
    • Dialogic
    • Feminist Theory
    • Gender Studies
    • Intertextuality
    • Marx
    • Narratology
    • Postcolonialism
    • Psychoanalysis
    • Queer
    • Racism
    • Reception
    • Sex
    • Spectrality
    • Transhumanism
    • Universalism
  • Uncategorized
  • Zarathustrianism

Archives

  • September 2014
  • December 2013
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009

Recent Comments

  • Vridar » “Partisanship” in New Testament scholarship on Exposing Scandalous Misrepresentation of Sheffield University’s Biblical Studies Department and a Bucket Full of Blitheringly False Accusations: ‘Bewithering is Becoming Bewildering’*
  • Arthur Klassen on The Antichrist Revealed! John Key has been Prophesised in the Word of God!!
  • Anusha on Cinema as Exorcism (six): On Soft-Selling Lars von Trier’s Melancholia
  • Cary Grant on J.N. Darby’s End-Times Family Tree: Is Dispensationalism from the Bible or Evangelical Tradition?
  • Christian Discernment on The Antichrist Revealed! John Key has been Prophesised in the Word of God!!
  • fluffybabybunnyrabbit on Complementarians and Martial Sex: The Jared Wilson / Gospel Coalition Saga
  • lisawhitefern on The Antichrist Revealed! John Key has been Prophesised in the Word of God!!

Blogroll

  • Anthrocybib (Jon Bialecki and James Bielo)
  • Auckland Theology, Biblical Studies, et al
  • Dr Jim's Thinking Shop and Tea Room (Jim Linville)
  • Forbidden Gospels (April DeConick)
  • Genealogy of Religion (Cris)
  • Joseph Gelfer
  • Otagosh (Gavin Rumney)
  • PaleoJudaica (Jim Davila)
  • Religion and the Media (University of Sheffield)
  • Religion Bulletin
  • Religion Dispatches
  • Remnant of Giants
  • Sects and Violence in the Ancient World (Steve A. Wiggins)
  • Sheffield Biblical Studies (James Crossley)
  • Stalin's Moustache (Roland Boer)
  • The Immanent Frame
  • The New Oxonian (R. Joseph Hoffmann)
  • Theofantastique

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • The Dunedin School
    • Join 47 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Dunedin School
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...