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Glite Dictionary
baby Jesus

baby Jesus

1 9.5
A joking way to show mock sadness or disapproval
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : niño Jesús
  • You make the baby Jesus very sad.

Examples

  • Every time someone cuts in line, I can't help but feel a little bit like the baby Jesus is frowning.

  • In my house, we give presents because a) the wise men brought presents to baby Jesus, and b) St. Nicholas gave presents to poor children.

    Blog text (12)

  • After all, at midnight Mass, it was not Santa in the creche we knelt before, but the baby Jesus in His manger.

    Blog text (12)

  • You really should clean up after yourself; you don't want to make the baby Jesus sad.

  • When I see people arguing over the last piece of cake, it just makes me think of the baby Jesus.

Surface Forms

baby Jesus main

Morphology

baby + Jesus

The words 'baby' and 'Jesus' transparently combine to denote the infant Jesus, so a learner who knows the constituents will grasp the literal referent. However, the MWE's pragmatic use as a humorous or ironic exclamation of dismay is a culture-specific, idiomatic extension that cannot be fully predicted from the parts, requiring pragmatic knowledge and exposure.

Etymology

Baby Jesus comes from the image of the small, innocent baby Jesus shown in a Christmas scene. One popular story says people would jokingly warn someone 'you'll make baby Jesus cry' when they did something naughty or wasteful, using that sad baby picture to show playful sadness or disapproval.