powers that be
词源链
- 英语English
powers that be
词源说明
After Romans 13:1 in the Tyndale Bible and the King James Version. The phrase is a translation of the Ancient Greek αἱ οὖσαι ἐξουσίαι (hai oûsai exousíai, “the existing authorities”). The verb be is the archaic third-person plural present indicative form, equivalent to the modern are, and not a subjunctive.
释义
名词noun
- 1idiomaticThe holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially if seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.