![]() ![]() ![]() Shakespeare also used it in Henry VI, Part II, 1592: Neptunus town clene razed from the soil." "I saw Troye fall down in burning gledes. ![]() Raze is hardly a common word now (in the UK at least - there is more use of it in other countries, notably the USA), but it was in the 16th century for example, Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey, used it in Aeneid II, 1547, in a context that makes the 'razored/erased' meaning evident: It seems that others are similarly confused - there are currently (Oct 2009) many hits in Google for 'raise the the ground'. What's being said is akin to 'razored (that is, shaved) to the ground'. How could destroying them with bombs raise them? Were these cities underground? It makes a little more sense when we understand that 'raze' is the verb that gave rise to the noun 'razor'. Is easier to understand when we know thatĪs a child, I heard stories of WWII and of cities like Coventry and Hiroshima being, as I thought, 'raised to the ground'. The meaning of the phrase 'raze to the ground' Added to that is the fact that the correct spelling in each case is of an archaic word that is rarely used elsewhere. The sources of these misunderstandings are the homophones 'bated' and 'baited', 'deserts' and 'desserts' and, in 'raze to the ground', 'raze' and 'raise'. The expression 'raze to the ground', like ' bated breath' and ' just deserts', is often spelled incorrectly. What's the origin of the phrase 'Raze to the ground'? Houses and buildings What's the meaning of the phrase 'Raze to the ground'?. ![]()
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