Job, n.4
(dʒəʊb)
1. Name of an ancient patriarch, whose story forms a book of the Old Testament; used in proverbial phrases as a type (a) of destitution, (b) of patience.
| 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 210 Tushe, thou art as poore as Iob. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones x. viii, You would provoke the patience of Job. 1822 Bryon Werner i. i. 401 He's poor as Job, and not so patient. 1884 W. E. Norris Thirlby Hall vi, My uncle bore it with the patience of Job. |
| Comb. 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 355 Job-like couched on dung and crazed with blains. 1891 Critic (U.S.) 5 Sept. 114/2 There is no sound of lamentation or Job-cry in it. |
2. Phrases with
Job's.
Job's cat,
turkey U.S. joc., used as types of poverty;
Job's comforter, one who, like Job's friends, under the guise of administering comfort, aggravates distress (
cf. Job xvi. 2);
Job's news, news of disaster; so
Job's post, a messenger who brings such news: see Job i. 13–19;
Job's tears (also
† Job's drops), name for a species of grass (
Coix Lacryma), having round shining grains resembling tears, and used as beads.
| 1854 S. Smith Way down East 184, I should rather be as poor as *Job's cat all the days of my life. |
| 1738 Swift Pol. Conversat. iii, Lady Sm. I think your Ladyship looks thinner than when I saw you last. Miss..Your Ladyship is one of *Job's comforters. 1882 B. M. Croker Proper Pride III. i. 22 You are a Job's comforter with a vengeance. |
| 1831 Carlyle Sart. Res. iii. v, This, we think, is but *Job's news to the human reader. |
| 1837 ― Fr. Rev. III. iii. iv, It was Friday..when this *Job's-post from Dumouriez, thickly preceded and escorted by so many other Job's-posts, reached the National Convention. |
| 1597 Gerarde Herbal i. lix. §4. 82 In English it is called *Iobs Teares or Iobs Drops, for that euery graine resembleth the Drop or Teare that falleth from the eie. 1772–84 Cook Voy. (1790) IV. 1291 Job's tears, mosses, and several kinds of fern. 1857 Henfrey Elem. Bot. 426 Coix Lacryma, the hard grains of which are known by the name of ‘Job's-tears’. |
| 1824 The Microscope 22 May 42/2 We have seen fit to say ‘the patience of *Job's turkey’, instead of the common phrase, ‘as patient as Job’. 1871 E. Eggleston Hoosier Schoolmaster (1872) iv. 22 But laws! don't I remember when he was poorer nor Job's turkey! 1951 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. xv. 58 Poor as Job's turkey. |