
Belshazzar’s feast (Daniel 5:5), 1636. Art: Rembrandt
A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg
writing on the wall
PRONUNCIATION:
MEANING:
noun: A clear sign of impending decline or disaster.
ETYMOLOGY:
From write, from Old English writan + wall, from Old English weall, from Latin vallum (rampart), from vallus (stake). Earliest documented use: 1663.
NOTES:
In the Biblical story told in Daniel 5, the haughty King Belshazzar throws a big party. While everyone is feasting, a disembodied hand appears and writes a warning on the wall. The term is also used in the form handwriting on the wall.
The moral of the story: At a party, read the room. Also, read the doom.