powers that be, the

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Idioms and Phrases

Those in control, the authorities, as in Our plan was vetoed by the powers that be . This expression appeared in William Tyndale's 1526 translation of the Bible (Romans 13:1): “The powers that be are ordained of God.”

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

pot calling the kettle black, the Prairie, The

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