the answer to someone's prayers
2
5.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
la respuesta a sus oraciones
- In his wife's gaggle of ladies in waiting, he finds the answer to his prayers.
Examples
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I think we've come up with the answer to your prayers.
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The answer to your prayers.
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Might be the answer to your prayers.
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I am the answer to your prayers.
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After years of searching, I finally received the answer to my prayers when the perfect job opportunity appeared.
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When my health improved unexpectedly, I realized that my new doctor was the answer to my prayers.
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This community center has become the answer to our prayers by offering resources and support to families in need.
Synonyms
28
4.9
Something very helpful that you did not expect when you needed it
2
5.1
A thing or person that gives just what you need in a hard time
1
4.2
An unexpected good thing that feels like it comes from above
How Helpful
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + answer + to + someone's + prayer
The meaning 'a thing that provides exactly what someone needs or desires' follows directly from combining 'answer' (a response or solution) with 'prayers' (requests made to a deity); an 'answer to someone's prayers' literally denotes something that responds to or fulfills those requests. Although it uses religious imagery, the compositional logic is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
The answer to someone's prayers comes from the simple image of someone praying and asking for help: an answer is what they hope to get from their prayers. So when something arrives that gives exactly what a person needs, people call it 'the answer to their prayers'.