BEGGARS BELIEF

Here I go again, still banging on about idioms. This time, I’m tackling that delightfully dramatic phrase ‘beggars belief.’

I’ve got to be upfront – for years, I used to think the phrase was ‘begs belief.’ I was confidently and incorrectly saying it wrong. I mean, it sounded right. It rolled off the tongue. It even felt logical, like someone was politely tapping you on the shoulder, saying, ‘Excuse me, could you perhaps believe this?’ Nice and civilised.

But I stand corrected. The correct phrase is actually ‘beggars belief.’ It’s far less polite. In fact, it’s downright aggressive.

The origin of this idiom can be traced back to the 17th century, when beggar wasn’t just someone asking for spare change – it was used as a verb, meaning ‘to reduce to poverty’ or ‘to exhaust the resources of.’ Over time, this evolved to convey the idea of something being so extreme that it ‘pauperises’ or ‘exhausts’ belief.

It beggars belief that he would do such a thing. The phrase means that something is so astonishing or outrageous that it is difficult to believe. It means that something is unbelievable, is not deserving to be believed, is questionable. The phrase doesn’t gently request your acceptance, it absolutely drains your ability to believe anything ever again.

It’s the linguistic equivalent of your brain throwing its hands up and saying, ‘Right, I’m done. I’ve got nothing left. You’ve used up all the belief.’

Which, when you think about it, is far more satisfying. It’s like someone is saying ‘How dare you.’

Consider the example ‘It beggars belief that he would do such a thing.’ This isn’t a mild statement. This is full-blown disbelief. This is you staring into the middle distance, questioning reality, possibly reconsidering your life choices.

Compare that with ‘begs belief,’ which accidentally suggests the situation is quite reasonable and just needs a bit of support. Completely the wrong vibe.

Of course, ‘begs belief’ has snuck its way into everyday conversation, and plenty of people use it without a second thought. Language evolves, mistakes become habits, and habits become accepted usage. But if you’re aiming for accuracy – or just want to sound like you know exactly what you’re talking about at a dinner party – ‘beggars belief’ is the one to go for.

So yes, I stand corrected. Publicly. Boldly. Possibly for the last time – though history suggests otherwise.

And don’t get me started on ‘pauperise’ or ‘pauperize’, which one is it? They’re both verbs, why is it so difficult? Pick one and stop making it so complicated.

And honestly, it beggars belief that I got it wrong for so long.