5 Phrases Invented By Shakespeare That We Still Use Today | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

5 Phrases Invented By Shakespeare That We Still Use Today

Thanks William!

102
5 Phrases Invented By Shakespeare That We Still Use Today

In This Article:

We all know Shakespeare. From his sonnets to Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare is someone everyone has read. But did you know just how many words and phrases he's invited? Literally hundreds!

Here's a list of our top 5 phrases and words good-ole William invented that are still being used today!

Elbow Room

Used by King John, this was the first useage of the phrase. While we know it as physically looking for more room, King John was looking for some extra space for his soul. Talk about deep!!

Wear My Heart On My Sleeve

Instead of being the cheesy phrase used by teen heartthrobs in Netflix originals, this phrase was used by Iago in Othello as a personality trait between good and bad people.

Love is Blind

This phrase still holds the same meaning today as it did in Shakespeare's time. In The Merchant of Venice, it is used by Lorenzo as he states his ever-longing love for Jessica.

Neither Here Nor There

This too still holds the same old meaning from back in William's days. To say it doesn't matter now or later, this phrase was used first by Emilia in Othello to console Desdemona that her itching eye doesn't mean she is going to cry.

The Be-All And The End-All

In today's society this means becoming the boss at a major company is the height of the world. In Macbeth, this meant murdering King Duncan without getting caught. Clearly, the times have changed.


At times, we don't recognize that some of the things we say are influenced by those that produced great literature. If you always wondered where these came from, now you know!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Health and Wellness

5 Ways To Bring Positivity Into Your Life When All You Want To Do Is Drown In Self-Pity

It seems like life has been serving up more bad than good and in all honesty, the only thing you want to do is crawl under your covers and hide from the rest of the world.

1229
5 Ways To Bring Positivity Into Your Life When All You Want To Do Is Drown In Self-Pity
Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash

The first two weeks of classes have come to an end and they have been anything BUT easy. It seems like life has been serving up more bad than good and in all honesty, the only thing you want to do is crawl under your covers and hide from the rest of the world.

Although this seems like the best solution, it is also the easy way out. Take it from the girl who took basically a whole week off from her life because she just could not handle everything that was being thrown at her. This caused her to feel extremely lonely and even more stressed out for being behind in classes that JUST began.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends

1. Thank you for being my person.

2. Thank you for knowing me better than I know myself sometimes.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

11 Things We Learned From Brooke Davis

"What's more important? What we become or how we become it?"

655
Brooke Davis

"She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant, and beautiful, and brave. In two years she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday, and I'm not sure she even knows it." - Lucas Scott, An Unkindness of Ravens

Brooke Davis of the hit show One Tree Hill was the it girl - she had it all, or so we thought. She started out as a stuck-up, shallow, spoiled, head cheerleader who didn't have her life together. She slept around a lot and loved to party - sounds like your typical high school teenager right? Wrong. B. Davis had so much more to offer. Caring, loyal, and outspoken, she has taught us some valuable lessons throughout the 9 seasons that OTH was on the air:

Keep Reading...Show less
Honorary Roommate
Rachel Zadeits

For some of us, coming to college was the first time we ever had to share a room. It was a big change, but a fun one. As you meet more and more people over the course of your college career, it seems to be a pattern that you will at some point have that one friend that doesn't live with you, but acts like they do. We call those people, "Honorary Roommates" and here are 11 signs you have one in your life.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons Why It's Awesome When Your Best Friend Gets New Friends

She may not be with you 24/7 but it's all good because you're soul sisters.

2497
super friends
Gabi Morales

We all have a person, and when that person makes some new friends, we tend to forget all the great things that can come out of it. Never forget how special they are to you and why you are best friends.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments