roaring for a priest

9.9

To call loudly for a priest when you are very afraid or dying

idiom

Archaic

: gritar por un sacerdote

The wounded soldier lay on the battlefield, roaring for a priest before he lost consciousness.

Examples

As the ship took on water, many passengers were roaring for a priest to give them comfort.
She was so distraught after the accident that she was nearly roaring for a priest.
He is roaring for a priest now!
Don't wait to start roaring for a priest!
As the ship took on water, many passengers were roaring for a priest to give them comfort.
The wounded soldier lay on the battlefield, roaring for a priest before he lost consciousness.
She was so distraught after the accident that she was nearly roaring for a priest.

Synonyms

to call for help

vsroaring for a priest

59 1.6

To ask loudly for help in an emergency

is used when wanting spiritual aid in crisis rather than practical rescue

to cry out for

vsroaring for a priest

26 4.1

To urgently need something

is a desperate need specifically for spiritual aid in crisis or near death

to cry out for help

vsroaring for a priest

7 2.7

To shout loudly when you need help right away

is a desperate need for spiritual aid rather than general rescue

to call for support

vsroaring for a priest

1 3.1

To ask people or groups for help when you need it

is a desperate request for spiritual assistance at crisis or impending death

to shout for help

vsroaring for a priest

1 1.0

Call out loudly to ask someone to come to you when you are in danger

is a call specifically for spiritual comfort at crisis rather than loud alarm

Antonyms

independent

984 2.3

Not controlled by others

self-sufficient

33 3.9

Can live without help from other people

Surface Forms

roaring for a priest main

Morphology

roar + for + a + priest

The sense of loudly calling or demanding a priest in an emergency is directly built from 'roar' (to call in a very loud voice) plus the prepositional phrase 'for a priest' (seeking a priest). The urgency is signalled by 'roaring' and this straightforward compositional pattern (loudly calling for someone) is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Roaring for a priest may come from the image of a dying person loudly roaring for a priest to give 'last rites' and comfort. That's why it now means 'desperately needing spiritual help'.