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WORD ORIGIN

Godsend is an alteration of the Middle English goddes sand, God's message ( goddess = genitive of God + sand = message).

It may come as no surprise that God is invoked in many other phrases and idioms:

God's gift - This expression describes a person regarded as a godsend and is frequently used in an ironic sense (He thinks he is God's gift to women).

God slot - A facetious name for the brief period on Sundays that has traditionally been allotted on British television and radio to religious programmes.

God's acre - A cemetery or churchyard (from the German Gottesacker).

The God's - The gallery in a theatre or its occupants. Those who were "up in the gods" were originally the most critical and vocal section of the audience. The name alludes to the high location of the gallery.

The Hand of God - The Hand of God goal (Spanish: Mano de Dios) was scored as the result of an illegal, but unpenalized handball by Diego Maradona in the quarterfinal match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup between England and Argentina. Argentina won 2–1 and for some English people the legacy of this event perhaps best symbolizes the rivalry between the two teams, and is usually mentioned whenever the two sides meet.

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SYNONYMS

advantage, benediction, benefit, blessing, boon, good, manna, windfall

(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)

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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:

"Our new team assistant has been an absolute godsend!"

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Thanks to Stephan for suggesting today's word!