sackcloth and ashes

Idioms and Phrases

Mourning or penitence, as in What I did to Julie's child was terrible, and I've been in sackcloth and ashes ever since . This term refers to the ancient Hebrew custom of indicating humility before God by wearing a coarse cloth, normally used to make sacks, and dusting oneself with ashes. In English it appeared in William Tyndale's 1526 biblical translations (Matthew 11:21), “They [the cities Tyre and Sidon] had repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

Example Sentences

I would absolutely beg on my hands and knees in the Senate chamber or anywhere else, in sackcloth and ashes and on broken glass, if I thought it would help.

From Los Angeles Times

The source added that the EU wasn't in "sackcloth and ashes" after it temporarily suspended agreements made as part of the Brexit deal last Friday.

From BBC

Saying that he remained confident that Mr. Biden would ultimately win the presidency, he joked, “I am wearing sackcloth and ashes.”

From New York Times

Why not mandate Stitch Fix-style deliveries of sackcloth and ashes so that we may know that these people are truly humbled?

From Washington Post

In recalling such a sordid piece of news—now twenty years old today—I’m still left feeling what I did two decades ago when this story first broke: sackcloth and ashes.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• absolution
• atonement
• contrition
• forgiveness
• penitence
• remorse
• repentance
• retribution