god

act of God: seeact.

by guess and by God: seeguess.

find God: seefind.

fit for the gods excellent; extremely pleasing.

God forbid: seeforbid.

God's acre a churchyard. archaic

☞ This phrase comes from the German word Gottesacker meaning 'God's seed field' in which the bodies of the dead are 'sown'.

God's (own) gift (to -) the ideal or best possible person or thing for someone or something (used chiefly ironically or in negative statements).

2007Paddy CrerandNever Turn the Other Cheek She thought she was God's gift, because she was the best-looking girl in the Gorbals.

God willing used to express the wish that you will be able to do as you intend or that something will happen as planned.

☞ This is an expression found in many cultures: compare with Latin deo volente or Arabic inshallah.

in the lap of the gods: seelap.

little tin god a self-important person.

☞ Tin is implicitly contrasted here with precious metals. The phrase seems to have originated in Rudyard Kipling's Plain Tales from the Hills, where he described idols that he thought were given undeserved veneration: 'Pleasant it is for the Little Tin Gods When great Jove nods; But Little Tin Gods make their little mistakes In missing the hour when great Jove wakes'.

1987Fannie FlaggFried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe This little tin God in the polyester suit and the three-pound shoes. So smug, so self-important, with the nurses fluttering around him like geisha girls.

man of God: seeman.

play God behave as if all-powerful or supremely important.

put the fear of God in someone: seefear.

there but for the grace of God: seegrace.