act of grace
Preserved but no longer current.
A pardon; a general pardon granted by Act of Parliament, especially that of 1690, when William III pardoned political offenders; and that of 1784, when the estates forfeited for high treason in connexion with "the *45" were restored.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “act of grace” mean?
A pardon; a general pardon granted by Act of Parliament, especially that of 1690, when William III pardoned political offenders; and that of 1784, when the estates forfeited for high treason in connexion with "the *45" were restored.
Is “act of grace” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.