"Aredov's eyelids" - what kind of phrase is this? This question is not so easy to answer, for idiom in living speech is rare. However, we will try to cope with the task today.
“Eyelids” is an obsolete form of “century”
The first association when a person hears “eyelids” is “eyes”. But in this case, the true meaning of the expression “Aredian eyelids” is not connected with the eyes. In those times that no one remembers, except books and historians, the plural of nouns had other endings. And now, when the modern reader sees the “eyelids,” confusion comes out. However, it is easy to resolve.
It is known that some biblical heroes lived by today's standards (and by any calculations) indecently for a long time. For example, Methuselah lived as long as 969 years, and Noah 950. Phraseologism does not focus on them, but on Jared, who, in turn, lived 962 years.
But do not trust the numbers too much, for:
- Since the Bible is an ancient source, it could reach us with various distortions.
- Let's not forget that these are stories, and in stories usually embellish reality.
Use
But, strictly speaking, the history of expression is necessary for a person only for general development (unless he falls into the environment of boring philological tormentors). And in order to show off erudition, a person needs to know the meaning exactly, therefore, when someone says “eyelids forever”, he means for many years. If with the help of phraseologism they congratulate, then they wish to live a long life. Also, the expression is used as a statement of the fact of longevity. For example: "He lived the Aredian eyelids."
One curious detail: there is a version that the age of biblical centenarians was considered not by years, but by months. If you accept this version, then the life path of the ancient heroes, or rather its length, will no longer shock the imagination.
"Bicentennial Man" and phraseology
To ensure that the material is better absorbed, educators are advised to provide vivid, catchy examples. This seems to be a good recommendation. Therefore, the film “Bicentennial Man” (1999) is suitable for illustrating the expression “arered eyelids” (meaning is no longer a mystery to the reader). Moreover, it interconnects the problems of humanity, longevity and technology. The film tells the story of a robot that, as a result of a software malfunction, wanted to become a man. We will not spoil the impression of the film to future viewers, we will only say that it refers to the biblical centenarian Methuselah, and the hero also experienced many adventures during the time allotted to him on earth.