A supreme sacrifice; the ultimate demonstration of friendship or goodwill. The term comes from the Bible: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Detective-story aficionado Anthony Boucher (The Case of the Seven Sneezes, 1942) made an amusing play on it: “Greater love hath no man than this, that he should lay down his checkbook for his life.”