four horsemen

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Thân thiện
Definition

Proper noun 1. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: In Christian eschatology, specifically from the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, these are four symbolic figures who ride out at the end of the world, each representing a different catastrophic force. They are traditionally identified as Conquest (or Pestilence), War, Famine, and Death.

Usage
  • The term is used to refer to this specific biblical quartet as a collective entity, often to symbolize overwhelming, destructive forces.
  • It is frequently invoked in modern contexts as a metaphor for a group of related, devastating problems or calamities.
Examples
Advanced Usage
  • Metaphorical Extension: The phrase is commonly used outside of religious discourse to describe any set of four interconnected, severe threats or agents of destruction.
    • For that team, their defensive line was the four horsemen, terrorizing every quarterback they faced.
Variants and Related Words
  • Horseman (noun): A rider, especially on horseback. In this context, it specifically refers to one of the four apocalyptic riders.
  • Apocalypse (noun): A catastrophic event involving destruction or damage on a massive scale; derived from the Greek for "revelation," it is the title of the last book of the New Testament (The Book of Revelation).
Synonyms
  • Harbingers of doom: Things or people that signal the approach of something terrible.
  • Agents of catastrophe: Forces that cause widespread disaster.
Related Idioms and Phrases
  • Riding out like the four horsemen: Used to describe the sudden, powerful, and destructive emergence of multiple problems.
    • The crises hit the region riding out like the four horsemen.
  • The pale horse: A direct reference to the fourth horseman (Death), often used poetically to symbolize death itself.
    • He felt the shadow of the pale horse as the illness progressed.
Noun
  1. (New Testament) the four evils that will come at the end of the world: conquest rides a white horse; war a red horse; famine a black horse; plague a pale horse

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