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Meaning of "writing on the wall" in the English dictionary

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PRONUNCIATION OF WRITING ON THE WALL

writing on the wall play
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WHAT DOES WRITING ON THE WALL MEAN IN ENGLISH?

writing on the wall

The writing on the wall

"The writing on the wall", or "the handwriting on the wall", or "the writing is on the wall" or "Mene Mene", is an idiom for "the future is predetermined", and is generally implied that a bad event is imminent. The expression originates from the Book of Daniel, Chapter 5, from the handwriting on the wall that was witnessed at a banquet hosted by King Belshazzar. As those at the feast profaned the sacred vessels pillaged from the Jerusalem Temple, a disembodied hand appeared and wrote on the palace wall the words, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin". The visionary Daniel was summoned and interpreted this message as the imminent end for the Babylonian kingdom. That night, Belshazzar was killed and the Persians sacked the capital city.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE WRITING ON THE WALL

writer´s cramp
writeress
writerly
writership
writhe
writhen
writher
writhingly
writhled
writing
writing case
writing desk
writing pad
writing paper
writing room
writing table
Writings
written
Written Law
written word

WORDS THAT END LIKE WRITING ON THE WALL

brick wall
cavity wall
cell wall
Chinese wall
climbing wall
curtain wall
drive to the wall
fly on the wall
garden wall
go to the wall
go up the wall
hanging wall
hole in the wall
party wall
perimeter wall
retaining wall
sea wall
video wall
wall
wall to wall
with one´s back to the wall

Synonyms and antonyms of writing on the wall in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «WRITING ON THE WALL»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «writing on the wall» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of writing on the wall

Translation of «writing on the wall» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF WRITING ON THE WALL

Find out the translation of writing on the wall to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of writing on the wall from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «writing on the wall» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

写在墙上
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

escrito en la pared
570 millions of speakers

English

writing on the wall
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

दीवार पर लेखन
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

كتابة على الجدار
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

надпись на стене
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

escrita na parede
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

প্রাচীর উপর লেখা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

écrit sur ​​le mur
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Menulis di dinding
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Schrift an der Wand
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

壁に書いて
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

벽 에 쓰기
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Nulis ing tembok
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

viết trên tường
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சுவரில் எழுதுதல்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

भिंती वर लिहित
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Duvarda yazı yazmak
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

scritta sul muro
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

pisanie na ścianie
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

напис на стіні
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

scris pe perete
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

γραπτώς στον τοίχο
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

skrif aan die muur
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

skriva på väggen
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

skriften på veggen
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of writing on the wall

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WRITING ON THE WALL»

The term «writing on the wall» is quite widely used and occupies the 35.593 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
84
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «writing on the wall» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of writing on the wall
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «writing on the wall».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WRITING ON THE WALL» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «writing on the wall» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «writing on the wall» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about writing on the wall

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WRITING ON THE WALL»

Discover the use of writing on the wall in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to writing on the wall and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Writing on the Wall: Social Media - The First 2,000 Years
Chronicles social media from papyrus letters in ancient Rome to today, recalling how modern behavior echoes that of prior centuries and encouraging debate and discussion about how humans will communicate in the future.
Tom Standage, 2013
2
Writing on the Wall: Word and Image in Modern Art
Now published in paperback, this book is the first systematic study to explore the way in which words have encroached on the visual arts from the late 19th century to the present day.
Simon Morley, 2007
3
The Writing on the Wall: Studies in the Architectural ...
John Russell emphasises the importance of reading and understanding these texts in their original context.
John Malcolm Russell, 1999
4
The Writing on the Wall
THE WRITING ON THE WALL provides a fascinating introduction to the Bible's best-known, and most influential, stories.
Maggi Dawn, 2011
5
The Writing on the Wall: Why We Must Embrace China as a ...
Presents a controversial argument for America's assistance in helping China to become an economic superpower in order to safeguard peace and the financial success of both nations, explaining how American interests can be best served if ...
Will Hutton, 2006
6
Writing On The Wall
Tracy wasn't surprised that her dad disapproved of Kev, with his hair in spikes, his Dayglo socks and all the rest of his punk gear.
Lynne Reid Banks, 2010
7
Writing on the Wall: John Lydgate's Architectural Verse
While the first chapter focuses on how patrons deployed verse to shape the experience and significance of devotional spaces, Chapter Two turns to civic architectures, exploring how the Armourers of London coordinated their commission of a ...
Jennifer Eileen Floyd, Stanford University. Dept. of English, 2008
8
Writing on the Wall: The Campaign for Commonsense Business
This is the business book we have been waiting for.
Geoff Burch, 2011
9
Writing on the Wall
Megan befriends him without knowing anything about his past.
Christopher Cleary, 2007
10
Writing on the Wall
Writing on the Wall is passionate story of one woman’s survival of the past and another’s commitment to the future that gives them the chance at happiness neither of them believed possible.
Jenna Rae, 2012

7 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WRITING ON THE WALL»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term writing on the wall is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Writing on the wall for Energy East
The 2015 federal election will be won in Quebec and Ontario. Federal party leaders should recognize the writing on the wall and take a stand against Energy ... «Toronto Star, Nov 14»
2
Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD: “The Writing On The Wall
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a wrap on the 29-episode Coulson resurrection arc. “The Writing On The Wall” finally fills in the remaining blanks regarding ... «A.V. Club Denver/Boulder, Nov 14»
3
25 years on: How the fall of the Berlin Wall changed the world
The fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago not only reunited Germany and ... read the writing on the wall and opted to negotiate from a position of relative strength, ... «Al Jazeera America, Nov 14»
4
Watch a clip from Agents of SHIELD season 2 episode 7 – ' The …
The Writing on the Wall – The team discovers murder victims with the alien glyphs on them that Coulson's been etching. All of Coulson's secrets and lies come to ... «Flickering Myth, Nov 14»
5
3 DC events that recall the fall of the Berlin Wall
The actual dismantling of the wall, an undertaking that would span several years, led ... “Writing on the Wall: Remembering the Berlin Wall,” which focuses on the ... «Washington Post, Nov 14»
6
Writing on the wall? 'United Stasi of America' artist under police …
This handout picture released on July 9, 2013 and taken during the night to July 8, 2013 shows the face of Megaupload founder Kim Schmitz also known as Kim ... «RT, Jul 13»
7
Writing on the wall
"There were layers of dirt on the walls and all the façades and roofs were grey. Everything was grey." From the age of six, Mr Schwarzer had gone to polytechnic ... «Times of Malta, Nov 09»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Writing on the wall [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/writing-on-the-wall>. May 2024 ».
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