13 Everyday phrases that came from Shakespeare

 

According to Sarah Degnan Moje on Bright Hub,  Thirteen phrases from eleven of Shakespeare’s works have made it into our common vernacular since they were first written down. Some have retained their original meaning from the work in which they were first uttered and some have adapted and shifted over time. My personal favorite and the one that my students are often most impressed with, is that the idea of catching a cold, or having a cold, is something that was foreign before Shakespeare wrote of the concept. People got sick, sure, before he coined the phrase, but the common cold was not called a cold before Shakespeare named it thus!

For example, these thirteen phrases all originated with Shakespeare

Catch a Cold
It’s all Greek to me
Love is Blind
Wild Goose Chase
A Heart of Gold
Break the Ice
Laughing Stock
Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Dogs of War
Method to His Madness
Green Eyed Monster
In a Pickle
The World is Your oyster

These insights and more are contained within the downloadable power point. The lesson is brief enough to be taught in a single class period and simple enough for grades 6th and up to comprehend. Each slide names the play from which the phrase derives, the quote from the play and the meaning of the phrase now. Also included, both for fun and reference are still shots of the plays mentioned. 

To see the powerpoint she created for this click here.