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babe in arms

An infant, as in She's been a family friend since I was a babe in arms. Although the word “babe” for baby has been used since the 1300s, this phrase describing a child too young to walk (and hence having to be carried) dates only from about 1900.

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Nearby words

  1. babbling,
  2. babbling brook,
  3. babblingly,
  4. babcock test,
  5. babe,
  6. babe in the woods,
  7. babe-in-a-cradle,
  8. babel,
  9. babel, tower of,
  10. babelic
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Examples from the Web for babe in arms

  • There were a half dozen of them—two men, three females, and one babe-in-arms.

    Quest of the Golden Ape|Ivar Jorgensen