the perfect ruby
Preserved but no longer current.
An alchemist's term for the elixir, or philosopher's stone. He that once has the flower of the sun, The perfect ruby, which we call elixir, . . . Can confer honour, love, respect, long life, Give safety, valour, yea, and victory, To whom he will.
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 perfect ruby” mean?
An alchemist's term for the elixir, or philosopher's stone. He that once has the flower of the sun, The perfect ruby, which we call elixir, . . . Can confer honour, love, respect, long life, Give safety, valour, yea, and victory, To whom he will.
Is “the perfect ruby” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.