a man of the cloth
a priest
TRANSLATION
man of the cloth = der Geistliche, der Pfarrer, der Kleriker
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
But as a MAN OF THE CLOTH, he said he believed there was always hope.
New York Times
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Wearing a Stetson hat and cowboy boots rather than a dog collar, he doesn't look much like your average Mexican MAN OF THE CLOTH.
BBC
Did you
know?
a man of the cloth
idiomatic noun-phrase
- a male priest, minister or religious leader, especially of a Christian church
The Oxford Dictionary
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ORIGIN
"A man of the cloth" was originally a term applied to anyone who wore a uniform in his work. For instance, a baker's white jacket and trousers would be called "the baker's cloth."
But by the seventeenth century, "man of the cloth" came to be restricted to religious priests or ministers.
Since so many women are clergy these day, it is also be appropriate to say "a woman of the cloth".
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SYNONYMS
chaplain, clergyman (woman), minister, pastor, priest, rector, reverend, cleric, ecclesiastic, men/women of God, men/women of the cloth; the ministry, the monkhood, the priesthood, holy orders, the cloth, the first estate
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ANTONYMS
laity, flock, fold, parish, congregation, denomination
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Find an opportunity to SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation:
"My brother once thought about becoming A MAN OF THE CLOTH."
