to get religion
2
8.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
tomarse en serio
- He used to be carefree, but after the accident, he got religion and started volunteering regularly.
We can either move, we can get religion, which around here is known as on your knees to avoid the fees.
- We can either move, we can get religion, which around here is known as on your knees to avoid the fees.
Examples
-
After struggling with her priorities, she finally got religion and committed herself to her family's needs.
-
He's got religion.
-
When did you get religion?
-
"John sounds like he wants to get religion.
Fiction book (1998) -
I'm not gonna lose money just because you suddenly got religion.
-
Colson got religion while in prison, and it has provided him with a source of purpose and income ever since.
Academic text (2008) -
Many athletes get religion after a major loss, finding renewed purpose in their training.
Synonyms
Start to take a problem or habit seriously and act to change it
Antonyms
How Committed
55
5.7
131
4.5
- Informal
2
8.6
53
2.7
608
3.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'get' (become) plus 'religion' (religious belief) makes the literal sense 'become religious' fairly inferable from the parts, so a learner who knows the words can often guess the basic sense. However, the common figurative extension meaning 'become serious or committed' in non-religious contexts is a metaphorical, culturally marked shift that is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Get religion may come from the image of a person suddenly finding faith at a church meeting; they literally get religion and begin to live differently. That's why the phrase now means 'to become serious or deeply committed' about something.