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loaves and fishes

plural noun
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Definition of loaves and fishes

: material gain concentrating on how to get loaves and fishes, the schools … make out of our youngsters precisely what their parents wish them to become— B. I. Bell

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History and Etymology for loaves and fishes

so called from the 5 barley loaves and 2 fishes with which Jesus miraculously fed a multitude of 5000 (John 6) that he later reproached for their greater interest in the food than in him (John 6: 26)

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“Loaves and fishes.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loaves%20and%20fishes. Accessed 13 December 2019.

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