Meaning of Idiom ‘Avoid Like the Plague’
To avoid someone or something like the plague is to stay away from them completely; to consciously, in a determined way, avoid someone or something; to absolutely shun or ignore; to stay away from someone no matter what happens. 1,2,3
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Usage Notes
Like any such strongly worded idiom, this one may be used seriously or in an exaggerated way.
Examples Of Use
“Nobody liked him in the first place and now that he’s been accused of a heinous crime, they are avoiding him like the plague.”
“Brussels sprouts? I avoid them like the plague.”
“Waffle House? I avoid that greasy spoon like the plague,” said Lynn. “Really? That’s kind of insulting. I used to be a cook there. My food was good. And clean!”
“I usually avoid company Christmas parties like the plague but Annie talked me into going this year.”
“My ex-wife is crazy. I avoid her like the plague.”
Origin
This is one of those idioms that feels so current that it seems modern, even though ‘the plague isn’t. However, the idiom is as old as the actual plague, dating from the Middle Ages. It appeared in Latin in a writing by Saint Jerome (343-420):
“Avoid as you would the plague, a clergyman who is a man of business…” 4
The plague, in this idiom, probably refers to the Black Death or bubonic plague, an infection caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis.
Spread by the bite of fleas carried along by rats, this infection wreaked devastation on Europe and Asia on three separate occasions.
It still exists today but is easily treatable with modern antibiotics, provided treatment is rendered quickly upon infection.
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References- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
- Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
- Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.