straight from the shoulder
Preserved but no longer current.
With full force. A boxing term. The government shall he upon his shoulder (Is. ix, 6). The allusion is to the key slung on the shoulder of Jewish stewards on public occasions, and as a key is emblematic of government 'and power, the metaphor is very striking.
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 “straight from the shoulder” mean?
With full force. A boxing term. The government shall he upon his shoulder (Is. ix, 6). The allusion is to the key slung on the shoulder of Jewish stewards on public occasions, and as a key is emblematic of government 'and power, the metaphor is very striking.
Is “straight from the shoulder” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.