the.com/prodigal son
Leaves with the inheritance, returns with nothing but a good story and better timing.
means A child who squanders what they were given and strays from home, but is welcomed back without punishment when they return — often used now for anyone who returns, forgiven, after a reckless departure.
from From the parable in the Gospel of Luke, where a younger son demands his inheritance early, blows it on reckless living, and crawls home expecting to be a servant — only to be met with a robe, a ring, and a feast. The word 'prodigal' itself comes from Latin prodigere, 'to drive forth, squander' (pro- 'forth' + agere 'to drive'), so the phrase literally carries 'wastefully spending' baked into it. Over centuries the parable's title slipped loose from its religious frame and into everyday speech for anyone who strays, squanders, and returns.
- origin
- Parable in Luke 15, not a Bible character name
- common myth
- word means wasteful, not returning
- real twist
- father runs to greet him, breaking custom
- forgotten brother
- the loyal son who stayed is secretly furious