the golden calf
Preserved but no longer current.
See GOLDEN (PHRASES). There are many ways of dressing a calf's head. Many ways of saying or doing a foolish thing; a simpleton has many ways of showing his folly; or, generally, if one way won't do we must try another. The allusion is to the banquets of the Calves' Head Club (#.v.).
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 “the golden calf” mean?
See GOLDEN (PHRASES). There are many ways of dressing a calf's head. Many ways of saying or doing a foolish thing; a simpleton has many ways of showing his folly; or, generally, if one way won't do we must try another. The allusion is to the banquets of the Calves' Head Club (#.v.).
Is “the golden calf” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.