Te Deum
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To try to do that for which one has no qualifications; to criticize presumptuously.
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 “Te Deum” mean?
To try to do that for which one has no qualifications; to criticize presumptuously.
Is “Te Deum” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.