separate the sheep from the goats
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Distinguish between good and bad individuals, or superior and inferior ones. For example, In a civil war where both sides commit atrocities, you can't separate the sheep from the goats. This term refers to Jesus's prophecy in the New Testament (Matthew 25:32) that the sheep (that is, the compassionate) will sit on God's right hand (and find salvation), and the goats (the hard-hearted) will sit on the left (and be sent to damnation).
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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
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Words nearby separate the sheep from the goats
separate, separate but equal, separates, separate school, separate the men from the boys, separate the sheep from the goats, separate wheat from chaff, separating funnel, separation, separation anxiety, separation center
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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