phrasesfromShakespeare Barry Manilow may claim to write the songs, but it was William Shakespeare who coined the phrases. He contributed more phrases and sayings to the English language than any other individual - and most of them are still in daily use. Here's a collection of well-known quo...
Did Shakespeare invent new words for the English language? How many words did Shakespeare invent? Learn more about his contribution to the English language.
When we talk about ‘Shakespeare phrases’ we mean the many sayings, idioms and phrases that Shakespeare invented that are still in common usage today. It’s unlikley that native English speakers are able to get through a day without using one or more Shakespeare sayings in one way or anothe...
Shakespeare may have gotten the idiom from Dutch which has a phrase that roughly means “sit in the pickle,” which would mean sitting in a brine solution used to make pickles. Shakespeare’s dual use of pickled as in drunk and in a pickle as in a difficult situation has bifurcated, and...
From the French word "egret", a white heron prized for its plumage. used in: The Spectacles alarum An old spelling of "alarm". This is the way Shakespeare spelled it. Here, it provides 3 syllables instead of 2 for the rhythm of the verse. used in: The Bells Alberto's daughter These...
Some believe Shakespeare was cursed by witches offended by the play - or even that the playwright intentionally cursed the play himself by putting real spells into the witches' dialogue. If you must allude to Macbeth in a theater, it's better to call it "the Scottish play" instead. ...
Question: Where does the expression "he wears his heart on his sleeve" come from? Answer: Although the expression first appeared in William Shakespeare's play "Othello", the saying originated in medieval times. In the King's Court, if a knight was jousting in order to defend the honor of...
There's a reason we still admire the paintings and sculptures of long-dead masters, and luckily, one of the easiest-to-master Latin phrases just about sums it up: "Art is long, life is short." READ THIS NEXT:The 60 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language—And How to Use Them....
The phrase “on purpose” has become an idiom and can be traced back to as early as Shakespeare. If you don’t care about getting wet in the rain, you can say, “I left my umbrella at home on purpose.” The phrase “by accident” can be explained if you expand the phrase. If yo...
We’ve heard it all, from the random words that should have stayed in the thesaurus to the David Brent dictionary. We’ve even taken a look at some metaphors that Shakespeare would be proud of. But if you’re going to take anything away from this article, make it the following three ...