dark as egypt
/ˌdɑɹk‿əz ˈid͡ʒɪpt/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.35 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Rich[ard]. He muſt have a havvk's eye to ſee the ſtars this evening. VVhy don't you knovv, Jack, it is cloudy out a'doors? / Jack. That's nothing vvith him. He could look through the clouds vvith his glaſs, if it vvas as dark as Egypt, as eaſy as you can look into the other room; or, if he had a mind, he could bruſh avvay the clouds in a trice, vvith that long vvand he carries in his hand."
- "["][I]t's a long way to the stable, and no one to send." / "I'll go." / "No, indeed; it's past ten, and dark as Egypt. […] I'll rest till Hannah comes, and then do the best I can.""
- "His subsequent appointments were: […] 1861–2, Roxbury, where he remarked that the first year was as dark as Egypt, but the second was a time of miracles, financially and spiritually; […]"
- "[I]t's as dark as Egypt outdoors. We might go to-morrow if there's a moon."
- "With the Furies at her heels, she bounded down the cellar steps, not even pausing to remember what had once lain at the foot of them. The place was dark as Egypt, but she struck a match, and breathed again."
- "Flashes of lightning lit the canvas walls and air that was hot and suffocating just an hour before was now icy cold. Though only mid-afternoon, it was dark as Egypt."
Etymology
From dark (adjective) + as + Egypt, referring to the ninth of the ten Plagues of Egypt which God inflicted on the Egyptians to convince the Pharaoh to free the enslaved Israelites, described in Exodus 10:21–23 of the Bible (King James Version, spelling modernized): “And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven: and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌdɑɹk‿əz ˈid͡ʒɪpt/
- British English: /ˌdɑːk‿əz ˈiːd͡ʒɪpt/