jonathan's arrows
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
They were shot to give warning, and not to hurt. (1 Sam. xx, 36.) Jones, Davy, See DA VY.
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 “jonathan's arrows” mean?
They were shot to give warning, and not to hurt. (1 Sam. xx, 36.) Jones, Davy, See DA VY.
Is “jonathan's arrows” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.