Writing on the Wall | Idioms In English

Script: Writing on the Wall Idiom Meaning: Writing on the wall is a warning or sign that something unpleasant or unfortunate is going to happen. Variations are ’Handwriting on the wall’ and ’The writing is on the wall’ Examples Of Use: “He saw the writing on the wall and left the company for a new job before he and many others were laid off.“ “Look,“ said William, “the writing is on the wall. Nobody is going to lend us any money. We’ll have to come up with it some other way.“ Origin of Idiom: This idiom comes from the Biblical story of Belshazzar’s feast, Daniel 5:5-31, in which, in the presence of the king, a disembodied hand appears and writes on the palace wall. Only Daniel could interpret the writing. Daniel told the king that he had brought the wrath of the Lord on himself by not learning from his father’s mistakes and humbling himself. This had resulted in the hand writing the message, which said: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it. Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Upharsin; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.“ The king proclaimed Daniel the third ruler of the kingdom and was that night slain. He had “seen the writing on the wall.“