Common Phrases Coined by William Shakespeare
When it comes to Shakespeare, phrases such as “et tu, Brute?” or “Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” may come to mind. We think of the language of Shakespeare as old English with many “thee” and “thou” words that are no longer in use.
Perfect for the Shakespeare fan is this magnificent collectible William Shakespeare book Limoges box by Beauchamp Limoges, hand-painted with great detailing.
But, did you know that many of the most common phrases used in the English language today are attributed to and coined by Shakespeare? William Shakespeare, the 16 th century English poet, playwright and actor is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. The best-selling fiction author of all time whose writings have sold over 4 billion copies, has contributed a great many phrases to the modern English language, used everyday by the British as well as Americans.
Here are a few phrases that you may not have known came from Shakespeare:
“All
our yesterdays” ~ (
Macbeth)
“As good luck would have it” ~ (The
Merry Wives of Windsor
)
“As merry as the day is long” ~ (Much
Ado About Nothing / King John
)
“Bated breath” ~ (The
Merchant of Venice
)
“Be-all and the end-all” ~ (Macbeth)
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be” ~ (Hamlet)
“Brave new world” ~ (The
Tempest
)
“Break the ice” ~ (The
Taming of the Shrew
)
“Brevity is the soul of wit” ~ (Hamlet)
“Refuse to budge an inch” ~ (Measure
for Measure / The Taming of the Shrew
)
“Cold comfort” ~ (The
Taming of the Shrew / King John
)
“Conscience does make cowards of us all” ~ (Hamlet)
“Crack of doom” ~ (Macbeth)
“Dead as a doornail” ~ (Henry
VI Part II
)
“A dish fit for the gods” ~ (Julius
Caesar
)
“Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war” ~ (Julius
Caesar
)
“Devil incarnate” ~ (Titus
Andronicus / Henry V
)
“Eaten me out of house and home” ~ (Henry
IV Part II
)
“Faint hearted” ~ (Henry
VI Part I
)
“Fancy-free” ~ (A
Midsummer Night’s Dream
)
“Forever and a day” ~ (As
You Like It
)
“For goodness’ sake” ~ (Henry
VIII
)
“Foregone conclusion” ~ (Othello)
“Full circle” ~ (King
Lear
)
“The game is afoot” ~ (Henry
IV Part I
)
“Give the devil his due” ~ (Henry
IV Part I
)
“Good riddance” ~ (Troilus
and Cressida
)
“Jealousy is the green-eyed monster” ~ (Othello)
“Heart of gold” ~ (Henry
V
)
“Hoist with his own petard” ~ (Hamlet)
“Ill wind which blows no man to good” ~ (Henry
IV Part II
)
“In my heart of hearts” ~ (Hamlet)
“In my mind’s eye” ~ (Hamlet)
“Kill with kindness” ~ (The
Taming of the Shrew
)
“Knock knock! Who’s there? ” ~ (Macbeth)
“Laughing stock” ~ (The
Merry Wives of Windsor
)
“Live long day” ~ (Julius
Caesar
)
“Love is blind” ~ (The
Merchant of Venice
)
“Milk of human kindness” ~ (Macbeth)
“More sinned against than sinning” ~ (King
Lear
)
“One fell swoop” ~ (Macbeth)
“Play fast and loose” ~ (King
John
)
“Set my teeth on edge” ~ (Henry
IV Part I
)
“Wear my heart upon my sleeve” ~ (Othello)
“Wild-goose chase” ~ (Romeo and Juliet )
You can find an array of collectible Limoges boxes of famous books and literary works in our Books & Literature section to enhance your Limoges collection.
