theirs not to reason why

theirs not to reason why
theirs (or ours) not to reason why
used to suggest that it is not someone's (or someone else's) place to question a situation or system
Origin:
with allusion to Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade (1854)

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Theirs not to reason why/Their's but to do and die —    See Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die …   Dictionary of troublesome word

  • Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die —  is often heard, but is wrong. The lines from Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade are Their’s not to reason why,/Their’s but to do and die. Note that the closing words do and die give the lines an entirely different sense from do or die.… …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die —    is often heard but is wrong. The lines from Tennyson s Charge of the Light Brigade are Their s not to reason why, / Their s but to do and die. Note that the closing words do and die give the lines an entirely different sense from do or die.… …   Dictionary of troublesome word

  • theirs — /ðɛəz / (say dhairz) pronoun (possessive) 1. the possessive form of they, used predicatively or absolutely: the glory is all theirs; theirs not to reason why; a book of theirs. 2. (used with singular force in informal contexts, and increasingly… …  

  • reason — See cause, cause of. Reason appears in numerous trite expressions such as It stands to reason, theirs not to reason why, within reason, by reason of, bring someone to reason, and any reasonable person. Note that one word, because, can replace… …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • Charge de la brigade légère — 44°34′18.33″N 33°34′23.14″E / 44.5717583, 33.5730944 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jesuit Apologetic — • The accusations brought against the Society have been exceptional for their frequency and fierceness Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Jesuit Apologetic     Jesuit Apologetic …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • English translations of Asterix — All Asterix stories by Goscinny and Uderzo which have been officially translated into British English were translated by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge. Their first volume was published in 1969. However there have been some additional… …   Wikipedia

  • Youth (Conrad story) — Infobox Book | name = Youth title orig = translator = image caption = author = Joseph Conrad illustrator = cover artist = country = United Kingdom language = English series = genre = Frame story publisher = Blackwood s Magazine release date =… …   Wikipedia

  • Charge De La Brigade Légère — Charge of the Light Brigade , Peinture de Richard Caton Woodville (1825 1855) La charge de la brigade légère est une désastreuse charge de cavalerie, dirigée par Lord Cardigan au cours de la bataille de Balaklava le 25 octobre 1854 lors de la… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”