odor of sanctity

odor of sanctity

1. Literally, a specific scent said to emanate from the body of a saint of the Catholic Church. I had never believed it, but upon entering the small crypt that held the saint's remains, I too could perceive the odor of sanctity so many religious writers had detailed before.
2. By extension, a state of grace, saintliness, or holiness. The nun, who tirelessly devoted her life to helping the poor of her nation, died in an odor of sanctity at the age of 97.
3. Smug and often hypocritical moral or social righteousness; sanctimoniousness. The author provides an extremely compelling moral argument, without enshrouding the entire narrative with an odor of sanctity.
See also: odor, of, sanctity
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

odor of sanctity

Fig. an atmosphere of excessive holiness or piety. I hate their house. There's such an odor of sanctity with Bibles and holy pictures everywhere. The huge, medieval Gothic cathedral had a distinct odor of sanctity.
See also: odor, of, sanctity
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

odor of sanctity

Exaggerated or hypocritical piety, an assumption of moral superiority, as in This candidate puts off some voters with his odor of sanctity. This expression, originating in the medieval idea that the dead body of a saintly individual gives off a sweet smell, was used to describe saintliness in the mid-1700s. Today it is generally used ironically.
See also: odor, of, sanctity
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

odour of sanctity

1 a state of holiness. 2 sanctimoniousness. derogatory
This expression is a translation of the French idiom odeur de sainteté . It refers to a sweet or balsamic odour which was reputedly emitted by the bodies of saints at or after death, and which was regarded as evidence of their sanctity.
See also: odour, of, sanctity
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

odor of sanctity, the

A reputation for holiness. Today generally used ironically, for extreme or hypocritical piety, this term is based on the medieval notion that the dead body of a saintly person gives off a sweet smell. From this came, “He died in the odor of sanctity,” meaning he died a saint, which later was extended to mean saintliness in general. G. K. Chesterton used it in his poem “A Song of Self-Esteem”—“The Faith of Tennessee has wafted o’er the sea, the odour of its sanctity—and Golly how it stank!”—in which he derided the prosecution of John Scopes in 1925 for teaching evolution in his class at the Dayton (Tennessee) High School.
See also: odor, of
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • odor of sanctity, the
  • odour of sanctity
  • sanctity
  • scent out
  • lavender
  • lay (one) out in lavender
  • lay out in lavender
  • lay someone out in lavender
  • literally
  • on the scent (of something)
References in periodicals archive
Unlike his earlier treatment of anti-heroes, who begin as rogues and emerge saintlike eventually, Yerby's portrayal of Alaric in the last third of An Odor of Sanctity explores the whole question of sainthood.
In An Odor of Sanctity, for example, Alaric declares:
Yerby also points out in An Odor of Sanctity that the Moors did not destroy other faiths which conflicted with theirs; they practiced religious toleration.
If An Odor of Sanctity is his text on philosophical investigations of religion, Judas, My Brother is certainly his polished sermon.
The agnostic musings of African American popular novelist Frank Garvin Yerby
Each of these three engaging novels embodies a great Christian spirituality: Chartreuse personifies the Carthusian tradition, Portrait of a Woman reflects the Benedictine legacy, and The Odor of Sanctity embraces the Jesuit heritage.
Spiritual thrillers. (Odds & Ends)
These differences were not confined to incorruptibility and the odor of sanctity but also included external and internal marks, such as stigmata and the alien structures found in Chiara's and Margarita's hearts.(12)
The criminal and the saintly body: autopsy and dissection in Renaissance Italy
Nor do destructive fires set on Devil's Night, the eve of Halloween, have any odor of sanctity about them.
Peek behind the veil during three days of the living dead
Lights within black marble would not be visible; it's a leap only an adolescent would make, from the odor of sanctity to the Fulton Fish Market; faces are not like wood; "fardes," according to the three dictionaries I consulted, are a kind of white cosmetic paint (archaic) -- what would that be doing holding a ship to its mooring?
The Gospel According to the Son