to pass under the spear
Preserved but no longer current.
To be sold by auction, sold "under the hammer." Writing to Pepys (Aug. 12th, 1689) Evelyn speaks of "the noblest library that ever passed under the speare." The phrase is from the Latin sub hasta vendere.
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 “to pass under the spear” mean?
To be sold by auction, sold "under the hammer." Writing to Pepys (Aug. 12th, 1689) Evelyn speaks of "the noblest library that ever passed under the speare." The phrase is from the Latin sub hasta vendere.
Is “to pass under the spear” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.