ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

Did you know these everyday phrases come from Shakespeare himself?

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Shakespeare’s genius even influenced many phrases and idioms we unknowingly use every day. That's why we have comprised this list of ten common expressions that were either created or made famous by Shakespeare and his characters.

American literary critic Harold Bloom once said, "Shakespeare will not make us better and will not make us worse, but he may allow us to overhear ourselves when we talk to ourselves." The Bard’s impact on modern literature can’t be denied, but to limit it to the written word would be an extreme disservice to countless other works of art inspired by his works.

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Thinking back on your youth can be a bit of a double-edged sword: one might enjoy reminiscing about our heyday and carefree years, but we might also end up remembering those embarrassing moments when inexperience got the best of us. In any case, the beauty of the phrase "salad days" lies in its ability to encompass both the comfort and the naivete of youth.

Shakespeare coined this expression in the first act of Antony and Cleopatra, when the Queen of the Nile looks back on her relationship with Julius Caesar saying, "My salad days, / When I was green in judgment...." While it is true that Shakespeare’s original meaning for the phrase was about youthful inexperience, currently, "salad days" is more commonly used to refer to someone’s prime.

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To be the butt of an innocent joke or prank is usually harmless. When done in good fun, it’s good to laugh at ourselves. Having said that, to be the laughing stock is an entirely different matter: This expression means to be subjected to general mockery or ridicule, most of the time at one’s expense.

The Bard knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote this line in The Merry Wives of Windsor. In the play, Sir Hugh Evans advises Dr Caius, "Pray you let us not be laughing stocks to other men’s humours." What’s so effective about this phrase is that it conjures up the image of medieval stocks, wooden restraining devices usually used for public embarrassment. In that sense, the ridicule of being the laughing stock could be considered equivalent to being publicly displayed for humiliation.

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No, we are not talking about The Hulk here, unless Marvel’s city-wrecking superhero is now fueled by jealousy instead of anger. "Green-eyed monster" alludes to both a physical manifestation of jealousy (as some sort of unmanageable creature) or someone who is so overridden by this nasty feeling that they lose control of themselves. Shakespeare used this expression in his play Othello: In it, the double-faced advisor Iago tries to make Othello doubt the faithfulness of his wife, and warns him, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on."

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"To wear your heart on your sleeve" is a fairly common expression nowadays, and it is used to describe displaying intimate feelings openly to someone. While there is some debate as to where this expression comes from, the first recorded use comes (once again) from Othello: Curiously, a phrase as honest and sincere as this one comes from the duplicitous villain Iago, who says, "But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve / For daws to peck at: I am not what I am."

It is worth noting that the sleeve used here may not necessarily refer to a piece of cloth that covers our arm. Some linguists believe that the expression might originate from medieval jousting, where knights would wear a token of a lady of the court on their arm armor, known then as a sleeve.

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Contrary to popular belief, this expression does not come from chasing wild geese (or from the substantially scarier image of being chased by them). It refers to a type of horse race practiced in Elizabethan times, where a group of riders would follow and try to keep up with a single rider galloping ahead of them. The name comes from the shape the formation takes since it is similar to the pattern taken by geese in flight.

Shakespeare used this expression in Romeo and Juliet, where the character of Mercutio compares an exchange of jokes between Romeo and himself to a "wild goose chase" race. Mercutio states, "Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done; for thou / hast more of the wild goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I / have in my whole five."

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"Cry 'havoc!' And let slip the dogs of war!" This phrase has been endlessly repeated in several pieces of media, muttered by cold and heartless villains ranging from Star Trek to Superman. It’s almost funny how such a somber, heavy line has evolved up to the point of it becoming a bit of a corny cliche. Shakespeare uses this line in Julius Caesar as a way to convey the horrors and bloodshed of war when Mark Anthony instigates the Roman people to rise against Julius Caesar’s assassins.

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This one is a little bit baffling. You, like many others, might be wondering what’s the story behind this commonly-used idiom: We all know what it means, but since when is a doornail synonymous with death? Does that mean that the doornail was at one point alive? And, for that matter, why specifically a doornail? Is the way they move through the eternal, unchanging cycle of life and death truly the main difference between common nails and those specifically hammered into a door?

We might have gone a bit off track here. Going back to Shakespeare, the Bard made this expression popular in Henry IV Part 2, when Jack Cade complains about his hunger by saying, "I have eat no meat these five days; yet, come thou and thy five men, and if I do not leave you all as dead as a doornail." Some believe the expression comes from how doornails used in Shakespeare's times could not be retrieved after being hammered. Since those nails were left unusable, they were considered "dead."

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Shakespeare’s use of "In a Pickle" in The Tempest is considered the first recorded appearance of this expression. In the play, King Alonso asks his Trinculo, "How camest thou in this pickle?" and the jester, who is both drunk and in trouble, answers "I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last that, I fear me, I will never out of my bones. I shall not fear flyblowing.’

What Trinculo is saying here is that he is so drunk that his body will be well-preserved after his death, the same way brine or vinegar is used to preserve pickled food. While, nowadays, this expression is most commonly used to refer to an unpleasant situation or problem, "pickled" can also be used for someone who is extremely drunk.

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Another phrase incessantly repeated in romantic movies and books, the line "Love is blind" appears in three plays by Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice, Henry V, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. In The Merchant of Venice, Jessica meets with her lover Lorenzo while disguised as a boy to trick her father, Shylock. Upon seeing Lorenzo, Jessica feels self-conscious about her appearance, but she later realizes that he won’t mind her clothes since he loves her. Jessica says "I am glad ’tis night, you do not look on me,/ for I am much ashamed of my exchange./ But love is blind, and lovers cannot see/ the pretty follies that themselves commit."

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It’s funny how one of the least commonly used expressions on this list comes straight from Shakespeare’s most famous speeches: Hamlet’s "to be or not to be" soliloquy. In this monologue, the prince of Denmark grimly ponders on what comes after death, and reflects: "To die, to sleep,/ To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there's the rub,/ for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,/ when we have shuffled off this mortal coil,/ must give us pause."

Curiously, the expression is believed to originate from grass bowling, one of the favorite hobbies of the Elizabethan era. In this sport, an obstacle on the playing field, like a hill or a mound, would be called "a rub" since the bowl would be slowed down or deflected by rubbing against it. While Shakespeare included this phrase in other plays like The Tempest and King Lear, Hamlet’s iconic soliloquy is probably responsible for popularizing "That’s the rub" as a way to refer to an unavoidable problem.

Adjective Stravaganza

Expand Your Lexicon With These Breathtaking Qualifiers

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The English language is vibrant and generous when it comes to describing things. Its adjectives can be precise, poetic, naive, gentle, nasty, humorous, and so much more. Yet, for whatever reason, speakers show a tendency to boil down their lexicon into a very narrow choice of words.

We have assembled a short list of common adjectives and some of the words that can be used to replace them. Depending on the situation, some will be more suitable than others, but all of them will serve to expand your vocabulary in interesting ways!

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One of the most overused adjectives in the English language is "nice". We use it for everything: Maybe you had a nice conversation, you live in a nice neighborhood, or you have a nice puppy.

Of course, a puppy can be nice. But it could also be charming, cute, precious, or even adorable. Your neighborhood could be pretty or lovely. Your conversation, captivating or absorbing. You get the idea.

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A sunset is beautiful, yes. But a sunset can also very well be golden, gorgeous, spectacular, dramatic, red, magnificent, glowing, burning, dazzling, wonderful, fiery, even breathtaking or glorious. An event so exquisite deserves more than the ubiquitous "beautiful," don't you think?

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A very useful little word to describe things that are on the positive side of things, but not much further down the line. Not great, but definitely not bad.

Many things in life are, simply put, just good: A decent cup of coffee, a satisfactory day at work, an adequate microwave meal. These are all things that, if done right, are just good, and that's why we tend to over-utilize this humble adjective. However, many words could serve to replace it. Some we've just used here, but you can certainly think of some more.

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The word "expensive" is thrown around quite a lot, and has been for a while. For this very reason, the English language has more than a few synonyms worth its salt to express the same concept.

A pricey item can also be described as exorbitant, extravagant, fancy, lavish, upscale, posh, or steep. Contrary to what they describe, using any of these adjectives is 100% free.

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Another omnipresent descriptor that deserves a rest. And for good reason: the world is, in fact, a big place with plenty of big things worthy of conversation.

However, besides big, things can be called plenty of other things: huge, enormous, substantial, immense, gigantic, spacious, monumental, or even gargantuan if you are looking for the ultimate in matters of size.

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When talking about scale, it's all about nuance. Almost as ubiquitous as its big brother, "small" is another versatile word that, despite its usefulness, loses meaning without context.

Think of words like little, tiny, minuscule, compact, diminutive, microscopic, undersized, and minute. Every one of them offers some nuance and variation, while still expressing the core idea of smallness.

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A great many things in life are difficult and there is no shame in admitting to it. What is a shame is using the same word over and over again when we have such a rich vocabulary to express every nuance of the human experience.

Things can be difficult, but also challenging, demanding, complex, arduous, complicated, tricky, formidable, onerous, laborious, tough, or just hard.

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As many things in life are difficult, many others are outright easy. Whenever you find a straightforward solution to a problem, life gets a little simpler. Other words in the "easy" ballpark are uncomplicated, painless, smooth, undemanding, and breezy. You should try to incorporate them into your lexicon—it's effortless.

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One of those words that can be used to convey many different meanings, "hot" signifies high temperature, but it is also used to express urgency, high demand, beauty, and intensity.

Many synonyms can also be used to describe the spectrum of expressions that "hot" is used for. From the intense "sizzling" to the extreme "scorching" or "boiling", to "blistering" or even "burning", all these are waiting on the sidelines to replace the overused "hot."

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Another much-used adjective, the direct opposite of the one just mentioned, is "cold". Many things can be cold, from drinks to relationships to places to food and quite a few more. Yet, the word has a few relatives that are seldom used.

"Chilly" suggests a mild and discomforting cold, "frigid" conveys an intense cold, "icy" emphasizes the presence of ice, and "frosty" describes a coldness that is frost-covered. Also, "biting" implies a sharp wind, "freezing" means a temperature at freezing point, and "numb" conveys a lack of sensation.

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In a world of constant rush, running late is inevitable. The term itself signifies a point in time occurring after the expected hour. "You're late" is a much-heard phrase, usually uttered in mild anger.

But for such an ungrateful term, there are plenty of related terms at our disposal: tardy, delayed, belated, behind schedule, overdue, running behind, or behind time can all be used to replace the usual "late".