Idiom – Sacred Cow

Sacred Cow – Idiom of the Day

Meaning:

Something venerated and is exempted from criticism or doubt.

History:

History debated between the mid eighteenth century and late nineteenth century ( is suspected of American origin) . The term was first used in a letter written to the Calcutta Times by Wady Jahed, an Indian emigre, who lived in Janesville, Wisconsin and it was printed by The Janesville Free Press in 1854. There is also evidence of the idiom being used by NewYork Herald in 1890. In recent times it was used by The Galveston Daily News in September 1909 to refer to a project.

Idiom scenarios:

Scenario 1:

Friend 1: Do you know that John was summoned y’day?
Friend 2: For what?
Friend 1: Accused of being involved in murder.
Friend 2: But John is working under the Pope. Isn’t it?
Friend 1: He may be a sacred cow to the Pope, but not for all.

Scenario 2:

Friend 1: This politician is a real cheat!
Friend 2: But people treat him as a God.
Friend 1: Yes! To the stupid masses, he remains a sacred cow.

Scenario 3:

Friend 1: Why arent’ people questioning the saint for his stupid punishments ?
Friend 2: Because he is looked upon as a sacred cow.

Scenario 4:

Friend 1: The new collector received a murder threat but she sealed the company. Isn’t she afraid of the anti-social elements?
Friend 2: Oh!. She is a sacred cow. She will not fear these threats.

Examples:

Go through the examples to understand the usage of the idiom:

1. “The judge is a sacred cow. He never gives in to bribery or threat”.
2. “No auditor is a sacred cow”.
3. The actor remained a sacred cow to millions of people, in spite of being accused of involvement with criminals.