In the last of Matthew
Preserved but no longer current.
At the last gasp, on one's last legs. This is a German expression, and arose thus: a Catholic priest said in his sermon that Protestantism was in the last of Matthew, and, being asked what he meant, replied, "The last five words of the Gospel of St. Matthew are these: 'The end of this dispensation.* " He quoted the Latin version; ours is less correctly translated "the end of the world.
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 “In the last of Matthew” mean?
At the last gasp, on one's last legs. This is a German expression, and arose thus: a Catholic priest said in his sermon that Protestantism was in the last of Matthew, and, being asked what he meant, replied, "The last five words of the Gospel of St. Matthew are these: 'The end of this dispensation.* " He quoted the Latin version; ours is less correctly translated "the end of the world.
Is “In the last of Matthew” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.