the kiss with which Judas betrayed Jesus (Mark 14:44-46) The expression kiss of death has uncertain origins, but there are several theories. A sentence is a word, group of words, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that cannot be easily deduced from its literal meaning. We will explore the definition of the kiss of death, some possible explanations of its origin, and some examples of its use in sentences. The kiss of death (Italian: Il bacio della morte) is the sign of a mafia boss or a capo regime, meaning that a member of the criminal family has been marked for death, usually as a result of perceived betrayal. [1] It is not known to what extent it is based on facts and to what extent on the imagination of the authors, but it remains a cultural meme[2][3] and appears in literature and films. The scene from the movie The Valachi Papers, when Vito Genovese (Lino Ventura) gives Joe Valachi (Charles Bronson) the kiss of death to tell him that his betrayal of “the family” is known and that he will be executed. The kiss of death: A man posing for a photo of a deadly cobra in India doesn`t even notice when the snake bites him in the face. “Then dies an hour later” (The Daily Mail) When a brush is placed so that its brush tip is lowered and it is left long enough for its bristles to be bent permanently, it is often called the kiss of death! (from ArtLex) Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for kissing death An example of a kiss of death linked to organized crime could be a criminal who was previously trusted as a member of a criminal gang. If an authority figure learns that this criminal has betrayed the other members of the group, she can give him a kiss on the cheek or mouth, suggesting that she is likely to suffer an assassination attempt. This type of kiss is often described in books and movies about organized crime. Scientists have made a major breakthrough in the fight against cancer by developing a “kiss of death” technique capable of destroying pathogenic proteins. (The Daily Express) “As soon as (you) make a pop record, sometimes it`s like a death kiss for an artist.” (The Colorado Springs Gazette) The “kiss” has also been used as a terror tactic to support extortion or debt collection by putting victims in a state of panic where they pledge to do everything they can to save their lives.
[1] As an example of how the term “kiss of death” can be used as a term, a person might consider a politician who has just received public support from a person or group with a bad reputation. If the individual or group of people most likely to vote for the politician is perceived badly enough, this statement could be called a “kiss of death” for their chances of being elected. Similarly, the same effect could occur if voters learned about a politician`s criminal past. In fact, even revealing a history of questionable behavior or decision-making can destroy a politician`s chances of being elected. The term “kiss of death” can be used in several ways. It can be used as a phrase or figurative expression, meaning an event or action that leads to ruin. It can also be used to describe a kiss that an organized crime boss might give to another person, especially when organized crime bosses are depicted in movies and books. In such a case, a hard kiss is usually applied to the recipient`s cheek or mouth to indicate that the boss plans to kill the recipient or arrange for his death in the near future. In both cases, it is easy to infer that the meaning of the sentence is negative, simply from the inclusion of the word “death” in the sentence. @Buster29, I know what you mean when certain personalities become the “kiss of death” for TV shows or movies. I remember actor Ted McGinley was hired for many TV sitcoms that were already losing popularity. A few years after McGinley joined the cast, shows were inevitably cancelled.
Critics began calling Ted McGinley the kiss of death for sitcoms. The exact origin is unknown, but an Italian source identifies the dead bacio della as the kiss given to the assassin who was tasked with “executing” a death sentence, as if to seal the solemn verdict and wish success in the task. Some believe it refers to Judas` kiss given to Jesus to betray the soldiers who were looking for him. [4] Its use dates back to at least the early 19th century in Sicily. [5] I think that to use something as an example of the “kiss of death”, a certain pattern must be established. If a less talented actor appears in a movie and it turns out to be a flop, it would be hard to say that his participation was the “kiss of death” of the film. However, if he appears in five or six movies in a row and they are all box office disasters, then it would be fair to say that he was the “kiss of death” for this genre. The most common use of the term “kiss of death” is like a phrase. In this case, a person uses the expression to indicate that an event led to a negative result.
Less commonly, this phrase is used to indicate a literal kiss. In such a case, the described kiss is applied to the cheek or mouth of a recipient and indicates serious problems. When used by a person in organized crime, especially someone in a position of authority, it usually means trying to kill the recipient of the kiss. A kiss of death is something that guarantees the failure of a business. Most people believe that the term kiss of death has its roots in the kiss that Judas gave to Jesus as a betrayal of the Romans, although the term kiss of death did not appear until the 1940s. Some believe that the term kiss of death refers to an American mafia practice of giving a kiss to someone who has betrayed the Mafia`s Gift and is therefore marked for death. However, it is easy to see the connection between the practice of the American mafia and its roots in the kiss of Judas. The plural form of the kiss of death is the kiss of death. Note that the sentence is not capitalized, when used as an adjective before a noun, the sentence is separated as in Kiss-of-Death. “Nimrod,” “scapegoat,” and other good words from the Good Book Nicole`s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a writer for LanguageHumanities, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business.