Black as sin

Posted by Gary Martin March 27, 2011 at 08:48In reply to Black as sin posted by Peter Ellis on March 25, 2011 at 10:10:

What are the origins of the phrase "black as sin"?

'As black as' is more commonly 'coal' or 'pitch'. 'Sin' is more commonly 'as ugly as' or 'as miserable as'. 'As black as sin' is recorded from the 19th century as is usually used to describe a 'black look'.