Meanings
present singular third person dies roaring for a priest · participle present dying roaring for a priest · participle past died roaring for a priest · past died roaring for a priest · alternative die roaring for the priest
- IrelandcolloquialdatedCatholicismTo repent too late of one's sins; (hence) be damned.
Suffice it to say that the barman physically hustled him towards the door, as Gus struggled and shouted, "I hope you die roaring for a priest."
1996, Marian Keyes, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, Poolbeg, →ISBN, page 6541 more example
“God’s curse down on you, Burke; may you never lie quiet in bed; may your children wither and die; may your rooftree fall; may your seed and breed in every generation from this day forward bring forth a thief or a murderer of his own kind; may brother rise against brother in every generation; may you never see the face of God; may you live to see the ruin of your family; may you die roaring for the priest and him far away—”
1973, Eilís Dillon, Across the Bitter Sea, page 436
Origin
Variation of die roaring; in Catholicism, without a priest a dying person cannot receive the sacraments of confession or extreme unction.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
die roaring for a priest. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/die%20roaring%20for%20a%20priest
“die roaring for a priest.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/die%20roaring%20for%20a%20priest. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “die roaring for a priest,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/die%20roaring%20for%20a%20priest.
Source: die roaring for a priest on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.