"Ared's eyelids" - what kind of phrase is this? This question is not so easy to answer, because phraseology in live speech is rare. However, we will try to cope with the task today.
"Eyelids" is an obsolete form of "age"
The first association when a person hears "eyelids" is "eyes". But in this case, the true meaning of the expression "Ared's eyelids" has nothing to do with the eyes. In those days, which no one remembers anymore, except for books and historians, plural nouns had other endings. And now, when the modern reader sees "eyelids", confusion comes out. However, it is easy to resolve.
It is known that some biblical heroes lived by today's standards (and by any calculation) indecently long. For example, Methuselah lived for 969 years, and Noah 950. Phraseologism focuses not on them, but on Jared, who, in turn, lived 962 years.
But don't trust the numbers too much, because:
- Since the Bible is an ancient source, it could reach us with various distortions.
- Let's not forget that these are stories, and stories usually embellish reality.
Use
But, strictly speaking, a person needs the history of expression only for general development (unless he gets into the environment of tedious torturer philologists). And in order to show off erudition, a person needs to know exactly the meaning, therefore, when someone says "ared eyelids", he means for many years. If with the help of phraseology they congratulate, then they want to live a long life. Also, the expression is used as a statement of the fact of longevity. For example: "He lived through Ared's eyelids".
One curious detail: there is a version that the age of biblical long-livers was calculated not by years, but by months. If we accept this version, then the life path of the ancient heroes, or rather its length, will no longer stagger the imagination.
"Bicentennial Man" and idiom
To better assimilate the material, teachers advise to give vivid, memorable examples. Seems like a good recommendation. Therefore, to illustrate the expression "aredian eyelids" (the meaning is no longer a mystery to the reader), the film "Bicentennial Man" (1999) is suitable. Moreover, the problems of humanity, longevity and technology are interconnected in it. The film tells about a robot who, as a result of a software failure, wanted to become a man. We will not spoil the impression of the film for future viewers, we will only say that it mentions the biblical long-liver Methuselah, and the hero also experienced many adventures during the time allotted to him on earth.
