Idiom
cross of gold
Meaning
A public policy which puts the interests of the rich ahead of those of the poor.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The new tax law feels like a cross of gold.”
“This budget is a cross of gold that hurts the poor.”
“Critics argue that the government's latest economic policy is a cross of gold that ignores the needs of struggling families.”
“The city council's decision to cut public transit funding while lowering business taxes represents a modern cross of gold for local commuters.”
“Activists marched through the streets to protest the trade deal, calling it a cross of gold that protects wealthy investors instead of workers.”
“The senator delivered a fiery speech, condemning the proposed legislation as a cross of gold that sacrificed the welfare of the working class for corporate profit.”
Examples
simple
“The new tax law feels like a cross of gold.”
“This budget is a cross of gold that hurts the poor.”
contextual
“Critics argue that the government's latest economic policy is a cross of gold that ignores the needs of struggling families.”
“The city council's decision to cut public transit funding while lowering business taxes represents a modern cross of gold for local commuters.”
“Activists marched through the streets to protest the trade deal, calling it a cross of gold that protects wealthy investors instead of workers.”
complex
“The senator delivered a fiery speech, condemning the proposed legislation as a cross of gold that sacrificed the welfare of the working class for corporate profit.”
Origin
The term originates from an 1896 speech by the American politician William Jennings Bryan, who employed the image to describe a metaphorical crucifixion of the working class. Bryan argued that the maintenance of the gold standard constituted such a cross, and the phrase has since transitioned from this specific economic grievance into a more general rhetorical device.
Key words
Related idioms
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