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Horns of the Altar (To the)

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Usque ad aras amicus. Your friend even to the horns of the altar—i.e. through thick and thin. In swearing, the ancient Romans held the horns of the altar, and one who did so in testimony of friendship could not break his oath without calling on himself the vengeance of the angry gods.

 

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Horn, Horns
Horn-book
Horn-gate
Horn of Fidelity
Horn of Plenty [Cornu-copia]
Horn of Power
Horn of the Son of Oil (The) (Isa. v. 1)
Horn with Horn or Horn under Horn
Horns of a Dilemma
Horns of Moses Face
Horns of the Altar (To the)
Horne
Horner
Hornets (Josh. xxiv. 12)
Hornet’s Nest
Hornie
Hornpipe
Horology
Horoscope
Horrors (The)
Hors de Combat (French)