inner Joan of Arc
- noun
- She drew on her inner Joan of Arc to stand up for what she believed was right.
Examples
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Whenever I face a challenge at work, I try to find my inner Joan of Arc.
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He encouraged his team to summon their inner Joan of Arc before the big presentation.
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Find your inner Joan of Arc!
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She found her inner Joan of Arc during the challenging times.
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When faced with adversity, he always channels his inner Joan of Arc to overcome his fears.
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To confront her critics, she had to access her inner Joan of Arc and speak her truth.
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Before making her decision, she reminded herself to be brave and trust her inner Joan of Arc.
Synonyms
A person's ability to stay calm and keep trying during hard times
A calm strength inside a person that helps them in hard times
How Brave
Surface Forms
Morphology
inner + Joan + of + Arc
The adjective 'inner' transparently signals an internal quality, but the meaning depends on the cultural/encyclopedic reference to Joan of Arc as a symbol of extraordinary courage; without that world-knowledge the phrase's sense ('inner courage') is not derivable from the words alone. Because comprehension requires recognizing the proper-name allusion and mapping it metaphorically to personal bravery, the expression is only partially predictable for an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Inner Joan of Arc is named after Joan of Arc, a brave young woman who led her people and stood up for what she believed. It asks you to imagine that brave person 'inside' you giving 'courage' and 'inner strength', so it means finding your own courage when you need it.