the holy of holies

holy of holies

A sacred or special place. Although used more generally today, the phrase originally described the sanctuary of the tabernacle in the Temple of Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. When it comes to college basketball, this is sacred ground—the holy of holies.
See also: holy, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

holy of holies

A place of awe or sacredness, as in The corporate board room is the holy of holies here. This expression is a translation of the Hebrew term for the sanctuary inside the tabernacle of the Temple of Jerusalem, where the sacred Ark of the Covenant was kept (Exodus 26:34). Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1800s.
See also: holy, of
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

the holy of holies

If you describe something, especially a place, as the holy of holies, you mean that people think it is the most special or important thing of its kind. Last year, his work was performed at the Aldeburgh Festival, the holy of holies in the contemporary British music scene. Note: In a Jewish synagogue, the holy of holies is the inner room which only the chief rabbi may enter.
See also: holy, of
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

holy of holies

a place or thing regarded as sacrosanct.
The reference here is to the Hebrew phrase for the inner chamber of the sanctuary in the Jewish Temple at Jerusalem, separated by a veil from the outer chamber.
See also: holy, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

ˌholy of ˈholies

(humorous) a special place which only particular people can enter: This room is the holy of holies. It contains the most valuable books in the world. The boss invited me into his holy of holies this morning. What a fantastic office he’s got!
In a Jewish temple, the holy of holies is the inner part, which only the chief priest can enter.
See also: holy, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • holy of holies
  • sanctum sanctorum
  • how about
  • how/what about...?
  • eggs is eggs
  • How long is a piece of string?
  • from my cold, dead hands
  • (one's) best foot forward
  • best foot forward
  • (as) sure as eggs (is eggs)
References in classic literature
It seems unable to abide for many seconds together in the holy of holies of the captain's state-room; it will out on deck and gaze ahead, through straining eyes, as the appointed moment comes nearer.
Mirror of the Sea
"I shall go on in the same way, losing my temper with Ivan the coachman, falling into angry discussions, expressing my opinions tactlessly; there will be still the same wall between the holy of holies of my soul and other people, even my wife; I shall still go on scolding her for my own terror, and being remorseful for it; I shall still be as unable to understand with my reason why I pray, and I shall still go on praying; but my life now, my whole life apart from anything that can happen to me, every minute of it is no more meaningless, as it was before, but it has the positive meaning of goodness, which I have the power to put into it."
Anna Karenina
"Ah," he continued with a malicious snarl, "but the Earth man shall suffer for the indignities he has put upon the holy of holies, nor shall any vileness be too vile to inflict upon his princess.
Warlord of Mars
"Tonight, when it is dark I will torture him." She looked upon his perfect, godlike figure and upon his handsome, smiling face and then she steeled her heart again by thoughts of her love spurned; by religious thoughts that damned the infidel who had desecrated the holy of holies; who had taken from the blood-stained altar of Opar the offering to the Flaming God--and not once but thrice.
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
"Another day" will do for brick and mortar, but not for the Holy of Holies into which Howards End had been transfigured.
Howards End
It seemed to him that he had intruded upon the holy of holies, and slowly and carefully he moved his head aside from the contact which thrilled him like an electric shock and of which she had not been aware.
Martin Eden
For centuries, normative Jewish law had forbidden Jews from ascending the Temple Mount, lest they step accidentally into the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies. And in 1967 most Jews observed this prohibition.
The trouble with holiness: Israel's half-century of control over its sacred sites has allowed problems to fester
It is no accident that Bakhtin uses a biblical image, the Holy of Holies, to characterize the individual's innermost "word." The most sacred place in the Hebrew Temple of Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies housed the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets on which the Ten Commandments--the divine word--had been inscribed.
Whose holy of holies? Bakhtin's polyphony and Tolstoy the author-God
As an architect I was particularly drawn to the Holy of Holies, a place to reconnect with one's heart.
An intimate space: create an "inner sanctum" where you can connect with your partner
This paper proposes that by then the Ark was no longer in the Holy of Holies and had previously been removed or destroyed.
The disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant
"The Super Bowl is the holy of holies. It's the sacred show of America.
Madonna promises 'no nipples' at Super Bowl Halftime Show
They were originally known as the Featherstone Tales, told by supporters of the Rovers rugby league team on their pilgrimage to the holy of holies at Post Office Road.
baRD Was nO GReaT sHakes
The inner sanctuary (the Holy of Holies) forms the other part of the cathedral including the Baptism Room, the Temple and the Deaconry.
5th Century Cathedral Unearthed in Hasaka
16), The high priest was designated to enter the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple and atone for the transgressions of the people on the Day of Atonement (Yore Kippur).
The priesthood(s) Jesus gave us
And now Michael Goldwasser's collective tackle the holy of holies - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
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