patience of a saint
3
7.0
- idiom
:
paciencia de santo
- In stressful situations, you really need the patience of a saint to deal with difficult people.
- try the patience of a saint
Examples
-
You'll need aluminum foil, a cylindrical spice or sprinkle container, and the patience of a saint.
Blog text (25) -
I found out that a doctor's wife... needs the understanding of an Einstein... and patience of a saint.
-
- You must have the patience of a saint.
-
Mostly, she had the patience of a saint.
Fiction book (2002) -
Mr. Frank had the patience of a saint.
Fiction book (1990) -
I have to say, "You have the patience of a saint!"
Blog text (2) -
You have the patience of a saint.
Blog text (6) -
If anyone has been to a convention, you know that you have to have the patience of a saint.
Blog text (25) -
And I know I'm not the only one; the noise alone is enough to test the patience of a saint.
Blog text (13) -
"I can wait forever, though," she says dreamily, "I have the patience of a saint."
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
511
1.3
To stay calm and not get annoyed when things take time
A great ability to stay calm and not get angry in hard situations
A quality of staying calm for a long time despite great problems, like Job in the Bible
Antonyms
How Patient
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a simple simile: it compares 'patience' to that of a 'saint', and since 'saint' commonly evokes exceptional virtue and forbearance, a learner who knows both words can infer it means very great patience. This compositional pattern (X of a Y as a comparison) is cross-linguistically common, making the meaning predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
The expression patience of a saint comes from stories of holy people called saints who showed great patience, staying calm when others were rude or when life was hard. So, saying someone has the patience of a saint means they are 'very patient' even in difficult situations.