saucer oath
Preserved but no longer current.
When a Chinese is put in the witness-box, he says: "If I do not speak the truth may my soul be cracked and broken like this saucer." So saying, he dashes the saucer on the ground. The Jewish marriage custom of breaking a wineglass is of a similar character.
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 “saucer oath” mean?
When a Chinese is put in the witness-box, he says: "If I do not speak the truth may my soul be cracked and broken like this saucer." So saying, he dashes the saucer on the ground. The Jewish marriage custom of breaking a wineglass is of a similar character.
Is “saucer oath” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.