patience of Job
A great amount of patience.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“You need the patience of Job to teach a toddler.”
“The teacher had the patience of Job while explaining the same math problem to the class for the fifth time.”
“Only a mentor with the patience of Job could endure the constant mistakes and lack of progress shown by the new apprentice over the last year.”
A reference to the biblical figure Job from the Book of Job, who is recorded as having maintained his faith and patience with God while enduring a sequence of severe trials. The figure's endurance was such that his name became synonymous with the quality itself, a linguistic development that allowed his suffering to be cited with clinical brevity.
The expression entered English through translations of James 5:11, which rendered the Koine Greek phrase ὑπομονὴν Ἰὼβ (hupomonḕn Iṑb) as the patience of Job. The phrasing has remained fixed in the language since these early translations, ensuring that while the specific nature of the trials may be forgotten, the namesake of the ordeal is not.
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don't give up your day job
Somewhat sarcastic but usually good-natured advice used to criticise a person's degree of talent (especially in music or other performing arts), implying that they are unlikely to be successful.
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full-time job
An activity that consumes a great deal of time.
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good job
Well done; congratulations!
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great job
well done; congratulations! (a praise for someone's efforts, possibly to a higher degree than good job!)
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inside job
A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the assistance of someone either having a relationship with a victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.
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joe job
An uninteresting, low-level, low-paying job.
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outside job
A crime or other illicit action committed by an individual not connected or associated with the premises or organization in which it took place.
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patience of a saint
Synonym of patience of an angel.
Last updated August 10, 2026