the mark of the beast
Preserved but no longer current.
To set the "mark of the beast" on an object or pursuit (such, for instance, as dancing, theatres, gambling, etc.) is to denounce it, to run it down as unortho- dox. The allusion is to Rev. xvi, 2; xix, 20.
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 mark of the beast” mean?
To set the "mark of the beast" on an object or pursuit (such, for instance, as dancing, theatres, gambling, etc.) is to denounce it, to run it down as unortho- dox. The allusion is to Rev. xvi, 2; xix, 20.
Is “the mark of the beast” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.