Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
the powers that be
English answer:
a superior being/ a force which controls everything
Added to glossary by
Nadia Ayoub
May 10, 2011 13:41
13 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
Egypt
Never lost for words!
Native in: Arabic
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, Italian to Arabic, and 4 more.
the powers that be
English
Art/Literary
Games / Video Games / Gaming / Casino
Pick up your guns, your explosives, your swords!
We'll do whatever it takes to defend this land! We hold the future!
And by the powers that be, we'll die protecting it!
Thank you for your help!
We'll do whatever it takes to defend this land! We hold the future!
And by the powers that be, we'll die protecting it!
Thank you for your help!
Responses
+6
1 hr
Selected
a superior being/ a force which controls everything
Such as a master (Masters of the Universe) or a deity/god or demon
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Many thanks!"
3 mins
Ahmad Kabiri
Iran
Iran
Specializes in field
Iran
Top quality is just one step away!
Native in: Persian (Farsi) 
Works in: English to Persian (Farsi), Persian (Farsi) to English
important people who have authority over others
Those who are in power.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Jack Doughty
: This is the usual meaning, but here I think a higher power, God, or the gods, is being invoked/
2 mins
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| neutral |
Ketty Federico
: I agree with Jack
3 mins
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| agree |
Judith Hehir
: I also agree with Jack, the clue being the preposition "by"
48 mins
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| disagree |
Polangmar
: Games/Video Games/Gaming/Casino, not Government/Politics
3 hrs
|
+1
1 hr
Stephanie Ezrol
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
French to English, English to English
Native in: English
Works in: English, French to English, French Middle (ca.1400-1600) to English
English term (edited):
the top bosses that exist
the Powers to Be
I think that this is most probably a reference to the use of the common phrase in a popular video game called Afterlife. In that game the Powers to Be are the bosses of an angel and a demon who can help the video game player.
"Afterlife is a god game released by LucasArts in 1996 that places the player in the role of a semi-omnipotent being known as a Demiurge, with the job of creating a functional Heaven and Hell to reward or punish the citizens of the local planet. In order to do so, the player must keep tabs on these citizens' sins and good deeds. Players are accountable for the job that they do, however, because their bosses, The Powers That Be, check in from time to time. The player also has the assistance of two advisors—Aria Goodhalo, an angel, and Jasper Wormsworth, a demon. Aria and Jasper provide warnings when things are going wrong with the afterlife, and offer tips on how to fix the problems"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlife_(video_game)
"Afterlife is a god game released by LucasArts in 1996 that places the player in the role of a semi-omnipotent being known as a Demiurge, with the job of creating a functional Heaven and Hell to reward or punish the citizens of the local planet. In order to do so, the player must keep tabs on these citizens' sins and good deeds. Players are accountable for the job that they do, however, because their bosses, The Powers That Be, check in from time to time. The player also has the assistance of two advisors—Aria Goodhalo, an angel, and Jasper Wormsworth, a demon. Aria and Jasper provide warnings when things are going wrong with the afterlife, and offer tips on how to fix the problems"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlife_(video_game)
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Polangmar
: The Powers That Be?
1 hr
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Yes that be. I thought that my answer was the the top bosses that exist. I'm not sure how the first line got there
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| agree |
Veronika McLaren
4 hrs
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Thanks Veronika !
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| disagree |
Kay Barbara
: "Powers that be" is a fairly generic phrase so I doubt that it is a referece back to Afterlife.
17 hrs
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Do you mean that is is a common phrase in general, or common in video games?
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