Handwriting on the Wall
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An announcement of some coming calamity, or the imminent fulfilment of some doom. The allusion is to the handwriting on Belshazzar's palace wall announcing the loss of his kingdom (Dan. v).
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 “Handwriting on the Wall” mean?
An announcement of some coming calamity, or the imminent fulfilment of some doom. The allusion is to the handwriting on Belshazzar's palace wall announcing the loss of his kingdom (Dan. v).
Is “Handwriting on the Wall” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.