Meaning & Analysis
Utterly dark or black—like pitch, a thick, black, tar-like substance.
Insights
Extreme Darkness
The proverb vividly conveys the idea of total, impenetrable darkness, where nothing can be seen—emphasizing an absence of light.
Moral or Spiritual Blindness
Metaphorically, it can describe ignorance, moral blindness, or spiritual obscurity, where understanding or goodness is entirely absent.
Physical and Sensory Origin
Pitch, used for waterproofing and sealing, is known for its absolute blackness and opacity. The sensory impact of its color made it a natural standard for describing the most intense darkness.
Cultural and Literary Resonance
From Caxton to Shakespeare, the phrase has been used for centuries to conjure the strongest possible image of blackness or obscurity, both literally (night, storms, blindness) and figuratively (evil, ignorance).
Psychological and Emotional Tone
The phrase not only describes visual darkness but also invokes feelings of fear, uncertainty, or foreboding often associated with such a state.
Rhetorical Devices
Simile
Directly compares darkness to pitch, making the image vivid and universally understandable.
Imagery
The phrase conjures a strong visual impression, enhancing descriptive writing or speech.
Hyperbole
Exaggerates the depth of darkness for rhetorical force, heightening the sense of intensity.
Transcription
Quotations
He is as blacke as pytche boylled.
All the heaven with clowds as black as pitch was over cast.
O Lord, it is as darke as Pitche.
Tis as darke as Pitch.
(black).
As dark as Pitch is black.
Shakespeare Citations
Pitch-balls . . for eyes.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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