Can anybody give me any suitable equivalents for the phrase 'Give glad tidings' as in the example ' Give glad tidings to those who strive - they always get the best results.'
asked May 7, 2011 at 6:58
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It's not valid English in the first place to Give glad tidings as per OP's example. As Loquacity points out, glad tidings simply means exactly good news. Substituting that in the example gets rid of the irrelevant connotations of "standard festive season well-wishing", and makes it plain that the sentence is badly-formed.– FumbleFingersCommented May 8, 2011 at 22:05
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@FumbleFingers Are you sure?– tchrist ♦Commented Aug 19, 2012 at 3:21
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@nicholas_ainsworth, please can you explain what the sentence "Give glad tidings to those who strive - they always get the best results" is intended to mean.– KarasinskyCommented Jul 10, 2015 at 1:44
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5 Answers
Tidings means news, or information. Glad tidings is happy news.
I'm not sure I'd use the phrase glad tidings in your example at all, to be honest. I wouldn't be giving good news to people who strive, but some kind of reward or praise.
So, for equivalents to give glad tidings I would offer:
Send good (or happy) news
For an equivalent to give glad tidings as it was used in your example I would offer:
Give praise
Or, the ever popular:
Offer large sums of cash
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You could just have Praise. Or Blessed are, Hail to, etc., come to that. But they all have have somewhat quaint (not to say biblical) associations. Extol, perhaps - but even that's a bit olde-worlde. On the other hand, All power to sounds a bit too informal or slogan-like for me. I really can't think of a non-quirky single word alternative for modern usage (apart from loadsamoney & variants thereof :-) Commented May 8, 2011 at 22:18
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@FumbleFingers What about 'compliment'? Although, that might mean more "say nice things about their hair or clothes" I guess. Maybe 'look after'? Commented May 9, 2011 at 4:37
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I kinda think that semantically admire hits the spot, but somehow it just doesn't sound right all on its own. You should admire is a bit better, maybe. Or Respect? I dunno. Commented May 9, 2011 at 5:22
An interesting way to get synonyms for that expression is to look for it in a book known to have many translations (here, the Bible) and then to work your way through said translations. Here, Isaiah 52:7 has (New International Version):
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Other version include “bring good news of happiness”, “break the news that all's well”, “bring good news”, “bring good tidings of good” (King James; sounds weird), and “bring glad tidings of good things” (New King James).
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Can't deny that's a good summary of exactly what Give glad tidings actually means, but I can't help thinking OP has used it inappropiately in the first place. So we should give alternatives to his intended meaning, rather than literal interpretations of the erroneous original word-choice. Commented May 9, 2011 at 14:51
try kudos
Acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement.
answered May 7, 2011 at 8:24
Glad tidings would be used to wish someone a happy birthday or something of this nature.
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True - but the questioner is asking for alternatives to this. Commented May 8, 2011 at 19:06
how bout you all just stop trying to change traditional greetings and olde world charm! just roll with it glad tidings we bring to you and your kin! good news! Merry Christmas you! may the season bring you all glad tidings and happiness!
