Words to live by

The Italian phrase that turns doing absolutely nothing into an art form

Every culture looks at life through its own lens: from a farmer in old Japan to a poet in ancient Rome, they all figured out their own version of "life's too short, don't be a fool about it". But some languages found the perfect handful of words to capture an idea that other languages take a whole paragraph to fumble through. You've probably heard "Carpe diem" shouted by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, or maybe your grandfather liked to say "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" (which got a big boost from Benjamin Franklin, who printed it in his famous almanac). Here are 10 more gems worth adding to your back pocket.

You say this when something annoying or disappointing happens and there's simply nothing to be done about it: you missed the bus, the soup's too salty, whatever the case may be. Nobody can pin down exactly when it started, but it's been part of everyday French speech for centuries, and it slipped into English decades ago.

The closest American equivalent is probably "such is life" or the more resigned "it is what it is."

This one celebrates lounging around guilt-free: sipping coffee, watching the world go by, accomplishing absolutely nothing on purpose. It's tied to Italy's relaxed approach to life and shows up whenever someone wants to justify an afternoon nap.

There's no single inventor; it's just baked into Italian culture. English doesn't really have a phrase this poetic, though "kicking back" or "taking it easy" gets at the same idea, minus the charm.

A gentle way of saying "don't stress about the future, it'll work out how it works out." Many Americans know it from the 1956 Doris Day song, though the phrase itself is older and its exact origin is fuzzy; some trace similar sayings back to medieval Europe. It's perfect for calming down a worrier before a big decision.

English speakers might reach for "what will be, will be" or simply "it'll all work out."

This one comes straight from the Roman poet Horace, around 23 B.C., urging readers to grab pleasure from today instead of banking on tomorrow. It became a household phrase in America after that unforgettable scene in Dead Poets Society. Use it anytime you're pushing someone (or yourself) to stop overthinking and just do the thing.

The English cousin is "no time like the present."

The message is: you can't undo a late start, but you can still act now instead of moping around. It's often attributed to ancient Chinese farming wisdom, though nobody can point to an exact author or date. People say this when someone's beating themselves up over a delayed career change, workout plan, or savings account.

The nearest English saying is "better late than never."

This reflects a traditional Japanese value of blending in and not causing friction within the group. It's used to explain why someone might hold back from bragging or standing out too much at work or school, even when they deserve more credit. Its exact origins are unclear, but it's long been considered a summary of Japanese social norms.

English has "the squeaky wheel gets the grease"; funny enough, the opposite advice.

This proverb, heard across several African countries without one confirmed birthplace, is about adapting when circumstances shift: new boss, new rules, new season of life, whatever the case may be. It's the wise elder's way of saying "stop dancing to a song that already ended."

Americans might say "roll with the punches" or "go with the flow" instead.

This warns against risking something certain for something uncertain, however tempting. Benjamin Franklin printed it in his famous Poor Richard's Almanack in the 1700s, though the saying is actually much older, tracing back to medieval English and even earlier fable traditions. It's the go-to line when someone's tempted to gamble a sure thing for a "maybe better" option.

Rooted in Southern African culture, this idea states that your identity and wellbeing are tied to your community and that you don't exist in isolation. Archbishop Desmond Tutu helped popularize it worldwide during South Africa's post-apartheid years. It's used to encourage compassion and teamwork, and to remind us that we're all connected.

English doesn't have a tidy one-liner for this, though "no man is an island" comes close.

This is simply an exclamation of shock or disbelief, the Mandarin cousin of "oh my gosh!" There's no dramatic origin story here; it's everyday, casual speech, useful for when you accidentally drop your phone in the toilet or hear surprising gossip.

The English equivalent is right there in the translation: "oh my heavens" or "good grief."

Weird wordplay

Dive into the fascinating origins of these baffling idioms!

Image: Leeloo The First

We said it once and we’ll say it again: Idioms are definitively weird. And with how much the English language relies on these strange phrases, you’ll probably find yourself using idioms more often than you think, without taking the time to think how wishing someone to "break a leg" before a big show is not a not-so-veiled threat. In any case, let’s dive into the origins of some of the most baffling idioms out there, with the hope of trying to shed some light onto the inherent strangeness of these sayings. Enjoy!

Image: engin akyurt

Let’s start with a strangely uplifting one. What do you think of whenever you try to picture something cute? Well, in small, round fastening knobs, of course! The idiom "cute as a button" does not make a lot of sense when first heard: After all, we mindlessly clip buttons on dress shirts, pants, and coats without giving a second thought to their adorability. However, a point should be made that, when you think about it, buttons tend to be shiny, small, and round, which in truth tends to check a lot of the boxes of what lots of people consider cute.

Image: Tyler Quiring

Crows are definitively remarkable birds: Their shiny, black plumage and imposing presence can only be surpassed by their outstanding intelligence. However, we hope that any crow reading this doesn’t take offense when we say that they don’t really stand out as particularly tasty birds. In that regard, the idiom "to eat crow" does make some sense: We use this idiom to describe those times in which we have to admit our wrongs, no matter how hard they are to swallow. However, we do believe that any number of non-edible objects can be used instead of these majestic birds.

Image: ABHISHEK VISHWAKARMA

Want to tell someone how important they are to you? Well, you might want to compare them to the fruit that keeps doctors away. But wait, it gets better: Why not compare them to a metaphorical apple stuck in your cornea? Who wouldn’t blush after hearing this?

We should clarify that there’s some reasoning behind the idiom "the apple of my eye": Historians believe that it comes from Old English, when the word "apple" was synonymous with the pupil of the eye, which most of us will agree is a rather precious body part.

Image: Pedro Durigan

Being a boss or a manager is definitely not an easy task: It comes with the difficult responsibility of communicating with those you are in charge of that their work is sadly not up to scratch. In that sense, you might want to tell someone they don’t cut the mustard, although that might leave them utterly confused. No one is entirely sure where this idiom comes from, or when the idea of cutting this condiment became synonymous with excellence, but some believe that it comes from the expression "pass muster", which is a military phrase used when a soldier passes military inspection.

Image: Jason Tuinstra

This is one of the most fascinating idiom origins we could find. While at first glance the idiom "take it with a pinch of salt", which means to view something with skepticism, doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, it actually comes from an ancient Latin text from Pliny the Elder. In his Naturalis Historia, Pliny describes a supposed antidote to poison that includes two dried walnuts, two figs, and, of course, a pinch of salt: According to Pliny, whoever takes this mixture would be invulnerable to poison all day. In that sense, this perfectly reflects the meaning of this idiom: Taking dubious information with a pinch of salt would metaphorically prevent these falsehoods from "poisoning" you.

Image: Christopher Carson

Pigs definitively have it rough when it comes to idioms: "Eating like a pig" always makes us feel bad while something improbable will happen "whenever pigs fly". In that sense, "sweating like a pig" not only sounds awfully mean-spirited, but it is also factually inaccurate: Pigs famously don’t sweat and take luscious mud bads in order to cool themselves. So, next time you are thinking about using this phrase, please consider that you’ll only spread misinformation about one of the world’s favorite farm animals.

Image: Daniel Tuttle

This one is just downright baffling: When did the world’s most beloved pets become synonymous with bad weather? In case you didn’t know, the phrase "raining cats and dogs" is used to describe a particularly heavy rain, but linguists don’t really know where this idiom comes from. Some point to the Greek word Katadoupoi (which means "waterfall"), since it sounds vaguely familiar to the English idiom.

Image: Tommy Bond

While we don’t really approve of dogs being associated with any negative idiom, the truth is that the origin of the phrase "dog days" is remarkably interesting. Here’s the thing, this saying is used to describe hot and stuffy summer days, which some consider to be some of the most uncomfortable days in the Northern Hemisphere. This peculiar expression comes from Ancient Greece since these hot days were signified by the rising of the Sirius star system, colloquially known as the "Dog Star".

Image: Vika Glitter

You would think that the last thing that a theater friend of yours wants to hear before going on stage is a violent wish for broken bones, and yet, "break a leg" is one of the most commonly said phrases in the world of theater. While we can’t provide you with a definitive origin story of this idiom, many believe that it simply comes from a thespian superstition that states that one should say exactly the opposite of what they are wishing.

Image: Nick Stephenson

If we were to take this idiom at face value, no one would be able to have a slice of their own birthday cake. The idiom "You can't have your cake and eat it too" is used to describe a situation in which two or more favorable outcomes are impossible: In that sense, the titular cake cannot be owned and eaten at the same time. What feels particularly baffling about this idiom is that, when you think about it, having a cake won’t do you much good if you don’t eat it, so why would anyone choose the first option?