A kind stranger acted like a Good Samaritan and helped me fix my flat tire.
good Samaritan
idiomA person who helps someone in distress out of their own good nature.
Origin
The phrase comes from the parable in Luke 10:30-37. A traveller is beaten and robbed on the road to Jericho and left half dead. A priest and a Levite, both respectable insiders, see him and pass by on the far side. The one who stops, tends his wounds, and pays for his care is a Samaritan, a member of a group Jesus' audience despised. The sting of the story is that help comes from exactly the person expected to withhold it.
The original point was about who counts as a neighbour: not the person of your own tribe, but whoever acts with mercy. The Samaritan's foreignness is essential to the parable, though English usage has largely dropped it.
A good Samaritan today simply means someone who helps a stranger in distress with no obligation to. The term is neutral enough to appear in Good Samaritan laws, which shield well-meaning rescuers from liability.
When my car broke down on the highway, a Good Samaritan stopped to help me call for a tow truck.
The anonymous donor who paid for the family's medical bills proved to be a true Good Samaritan in their time of desperate need.
- 01
a good deal
Very much; to a great extent; a lot; lots.
- 02
all good
It's all good.
- 03
but good
To a high degree; very thoroughly; in a most definite manner.
- 04
come from a good place
To be motivated by decency, kindness, or good intentions.
- 05
deal a good hand
To assign favorable circumstances in life to someone.
- 06
do well by doing good
To achieve social acceptance or financial success as a result of behaving in a benevolent or charitable manner.
- 07
for good and all
In a way that is conclusive and final.
- 08
get out while the getting's good
To sell all or part of one's holdings in stocks, real estate, a business, etc. while conditions are good, particularly in anticipation of a drop in prices.
The short stories Jesus told to make a point.
- 01
the prodigal son (idiom)
Someone who returns, chastened and repentant, after a period of reckless or wasteful living.
- 02
the eleventh hour (idiom)
The very last possible moment before a deadline or a decisive event.
- 03
separate the wheat from the chaff (idiom)
To select only that which is of value.
- 04
a house built on sand (idiom)
A plan or venture with no solid foundation, liable to collapse under pressure.
- 05
the widow's mite (idiom)
A small gift that represents a great sacrifice for the person who gives it.
- 06
a good and faithful servant (idiom)
Someone praised for loyal, diligent, and dependable service.