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powers that be, the



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Idioms and Phrases

Those in control, the authorities, as in Our plan was vetoed by the powers that be . This expression appeared in William Tyndale's 1526 translation of the Bible (Romans 13:1): “The powers that be are ordained of God.”

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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