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Showing results for widow's cruse. Search instead for widow's-cross.

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.


widow's cruse British  

noun

  1. an endless or unfailing source of supply

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of widow's cruse

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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

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

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

When once your tired eyes rest on what you know to be the last trick in his bag—lo! he turns the empty sack upside down, and it spills surprises, like the widow's cruse.

From The Dual Alliance by Cooke, Marjorie Benton

Yet, like the widow's cruse of old, its casket is never empty, for even when it has given its all, the next needy case will find succour at that door.

From One Day at a Time and Other Talks on Life and Religion by Alexander, Arch.

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