ENGLISH
REFERENCE

enough to make the angels weep

idiom
Meaning

Something so distressing that it causes one to lose hope and faith.


Origin

disputed origin

From a passage in Shakespeare, Measure for Measure...man ,/Drest in a little brief authority,/plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven/As make the angels weep.

Examples
SIMPLE

The destruction of the old forest is enough to make the angels weep.

CONTEXTUAL

Seeing the abandoned animals left behind in the ruins of the city was enough to make the angels weep.

COMPLEX

The sheer scale of the injustice suffered by the innocent refugees was enough to make the angels weep, leaving even the most hardened observers in despair.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    better angels

    Morally upright or otherwise positive attributes of human character.

  2. 02

    can't get enough

    Greatly enjoys; likes a lot.

  3. 03

    cannot make it

    Cannot reach satisfactory or expected standards or do something competently; describes someone in a hopeless situation.

  4. 04

    close enough for government work

    Adequate; acceptable as government work, imperfect but not worth the time nor effort of improving.

  5. 05

    count angels on pinheads

    To focus on obtaining the correct details of something which are largely irrelevant or unimportant.

  6. 06

    crazy enough to work

    Acknowledging that an idea, plan, or strategy seems foolish, implausible, or risky, yet might succeed precisely because of its unconventional or unexpected nature.

  7. 07

    doctors make the worst patients

    It is difficult to advise people on subjects that they are experts on.

  8. 08

    enough to choke a horse

    An excessive quantity.

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