Manna of St
Preserved but no longer current.
Nicholas of Bari. The name given to a colourless and tasteless poison, sold by a notorious female poisoner of 16th- century Italy named Tofana, who confessed to having poisoned six hundred persons by its means. Also called Aqua Tofana.
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 “Manna of St” mean?
Nicholas of Bari. The name given to a colourless and tasteless poison, sold by a notorious female poisoner of 16th- century Italy named Tofana, who confessed to having poisoned six hundred persons by its means. Also called Aqua Tofana.
Is “Manna of St” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.