English · Idiom Historical

The Printers' Bible

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

An edition of about 1702 which makes David pathetically com- plain that "printers [princes] have perse- cuted me without a cause " (Ps. cxix, 161).

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.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “The Printers' Bible” mean?

An edition of about 1702 which makes David pathetically com- plain that "printers [princes] have perse- cuted me without a cause " (Ps. cxix, 161).

Is “The Printers' Bible” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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