separate the sheep from the goats

separate the sheep from the goats

English

Etymology

From the New Testament discourse of the Sheep and the Goats, particularly Matthew 25:32–33: “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”

Verb

separate the sheep from the goats (third-person singular simple present separates the sheep from the goats, present participle separating the sheep from the goats, simple past and past participle separated the sheep from the goats)

1. To divide the members of a group into those that are superior and those that are inferior.

Translations

Russian: отделить зёрна от плевел (otdelitʹ zjórna ot plevel), мухи отдельно, котлеты отдельно (ru) (muxi otdelʹno, kotlety otdelʹno) (humorously), отделить овец от козлищ (otdelitʹ ovec ot kozlišč) (literally)