widow's cruse

American  

noun

1. an inexhaustible supply of something: in allusion to the miracle of the cruse of oil in 1 Kings 17:10–16 and 2 Kings 4:1–7.

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widow's cruse British  

noun

1. an endless or unfailing source of supply

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Etymology

Origin of widow's cruse

First recorded in 1600–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

widow's cruse

The other 17 were dry as the widow's cruse, were rapidly deteriorating into a useless mass of rust.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the U.S. today, he adds grimly, "There is no widow's cruse."

From Time Magazine Archive

Memories of Elisha and the ravens, of the widow's cruse, of the loaves and fishes, must have floated through the radiant fog in poor Melpomene's mind.

From Mortal Coils by Aldous Huxley

No widow's cruse, apparently, could be more unfailing in its supply than this 'private library.'

From Book-Lovers, Bibliomaniacs and Book Clubs by Henry H. Harper

She looked at the coffee-pot and for a moment thought enviously of the widow's cruse.

From Salthaven by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

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