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out-Herod. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
out-Herod, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
out-Herod in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From out- + Herod.
Verb
out-Herod (third-person singular simple present out-Herods, present participle out-Heroding, simple past and past participle out-Heroded)
- To surpass in evil and cruelty (originally and chiefly with Herod as direct object).
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :I could haue such a Fellow whipt for o're-doing Termagant: it outHerod's Herod. Pray you auoid it.
1948, E. M. Butler, The Myth of the Magus:nor is his tone anything like so venomous as Carlyle's in that unpleasing essay on Cagliostro, in which he threw all decency to the winds and out-Heroded the Inquisition whilst ranting against it.
1989 November 9, Harry Levin, “Putting Pound Together”, in New York Review of Books:The farther and the longer away from his native country, the more he out-Heroded Artemus Ward and Petroleum V. Nasby.
Derived terms