gods Thành ngữ, tục ngữ

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Lap of the gods

If something is in the lap of the gods, it is beyond our control and fate will decide the outcome.

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in the lap of the gods|god|gods|knee|knees|lap|on

adv. phr., literary Beyond human control; not to be decided by anyone. Frank had worked hard as a candidate, and as election day came he felt that the result was in the lap of the gods. The armies were evenly matched and the result of the battle seemed to be on the knees of the gods.

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lap of the gods, in the

lap of the gods, in the
Beyond one's control, in the hands of providence. For example, She's done what she can to expedite matters; now it's in the lap of the gods. This expression is a translation from Homer's Iliad, in which Automedon, the charioteer of Achilles and Patroclos, said the battle's outcome was “in the lap of the gods.” Lap of the gods has also been translated as knees of the gods.

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mills of the gods grind slowly

mills of the gods grind slowly
One's destiny is inevitable even if it takes considerable time to arrive. For example, I'm sure he'll be wealthy one day, though the mills of the gods grind slowly. This expression comes from ancient Greek, translated as “The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind small.” In English it appeared in George Herbert's Jacula Prudentum (1640) as “God's mill grinds slow but sure.”