friar's lantern

noun

1. ignis fatuus.

friar's lantern

noun

1. another name for will-o'-the-wisp

Word History and Origins

Origin of friar's lantern¹

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

In the same connection, Milton in "L'Allegro" also mentions the "friar's lantern."

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Napoleon sometimes rode into this valley, and one day he turned to Betsy: "Mees Betsee, have you ever seen 'Will-o'-the-Wisp' that they say lights the friar's lantern?"

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He elsewhere calls it “the friar’s lantern.”

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The Friar’s lantern is the ignis fatuus, or will-o’-the-wisp, fabled to lead men into dangerous marshes.

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B. "Has Friar's lantern lighted the hypocrite's feet to the quicksands?"

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