falling stars
Preserved but no longer current.
Meteors. Mohammedans believe them to be firebrands flung by good angels against evil spirits when they approach too near the gates of heaven. A wish wished as a star falls is supposed to come true.
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 “falling stars” mean?
Meteors. Mohammedans believe them to be firebrands flung by good angels against evil spirits when they approach too near the gates of heaven. A wish wished as a star falls is supposed to come true.
Is “falling stars” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.