• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where did the expression “gone to Jericho” come from and What does it mean?

Where did the expression “gone to Jericho” come from and What does it mean?

May 18, 2020 by Karen Hill

According to the. Bible (II Samuel x), Hanun, to whom David had sent his servants as a mark of respect for Hanun’s father, who had just died, was persuaded that they were actually spies; he had them seized, half their beards shaved off, and then sent them back to their master in derision.

The servants, ashamed of their disgraced condition, were unwilling to return to Jerusalem and sent word of their plight to David. He sent word back, “Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown.”

But it was a much later king who inspired our present expression. Henry VIII, it is said, had a place of retirement on a small stream called “Jordan,” near Chelmsford, which he called “Jericho.” Like the servants of David, he may first have gone there to be in seclusion while his beard grew, but his later visits at least, were supposedly in company with a paramour of the moment.

At any rate, his courtiers and ministers recognized that, officially, no one knew where the king might be whenever his servants announced that he had “gone to Jericho.”

It is for that reason that the expression has come to mean any indefinite or nameless place.

Related Facts

  • What Does the Expression "Until the Cows Come Home" Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
  • Where does the expression "till the cows come home" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "to come out flat footed" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "to come out at the little end of the horn" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "come off your perch" come from and What does it mean?
  • What does the expression "to get one's come uppance" mean and Where does it come from?
  • Where does the expression "to be ahead of the game" come from and What does to come out ahead mean?
  • How did the Expression "Red Herring" Originate, What does it Mean, and Where does it Come From?
  • Where does the expression "Darby and Joan" come from and What does Darby and Joan mean?
  • Why Does March Come "In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lamb" and Where Did the Expression Come From?
  • What Does the Expression "Lock and Load" Mean and Where Did the Line Come From?
  • What Does the Phrase "By and Large" Mean and Where Did the Expression Come From?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where did the phrase “to jump out of the frying and into the fire” come from and What does it mean?
Next Post: Where did the phrase “the apple of one’s eye” come from and What does it mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy