William Shakespeare, or the Bard of Avon, remains alive today not only as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist, but also as one of the greatest contributors to English lexicon. Apart from over a hundred sonnets, various other poems and verses, tragedies, romances and comedies accredited to him, a myriad of words and phrases we commonly use today are also to his credit.

There have been various arguments and debates about the correct attribution of the invention of certain words and phrases; it is believed that some words existed before Shakespeare’s time and his part in the whole picture is simply writing those pre-existing words for the first time. However, we can safely say that whoever may have been the father of those words and phrases, Shakespeare is the one who popularised them.

So without further ado, let’s have take a look at some of the contemporary colloquial words and phrases that have the bard’s name associated with them!

ado, let’s have take a look at some of the contemporary colloquial words and phrases that have the bard’s name associated with them!

All that glitters is not gold

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this proverb means that not everything that appears to be attractive, good, beautiful, et cetera, is actually that. Simply put, the external appearance is not an indication of the real nature.

Some sources link it back to Aesop, while some believe the phrase originated in or before the 12th century. Some of the earliest citations of the proverb include the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, in which he used two early versions of the proverb: “But all thing which that schyneth as the gold / Ne is no gold, as I have herd it told” and “Hyt is not al golde that glareth.”

Despite the fact that the proverb had been in use in various forms long before Shakespeare, it is believed that it was Shakespeare who gave us the closest variant of the proverb we use today in Act Two, Scene Seven of his famous play The Merchant of Venice:

Prince of Morocco:

“All that glisters is not gold;

Often have you heard that told:

Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold:

Gilded tombs do worms enfold.

Had you been as wise as bold,

Young in limbs, in judgement old

Your answer had not been inscroll’d

Fare you well, your suit is cold.”

The word ‘glisters used in the play is a 17th-century synonym for the modern word ‘glitters’.

All’s well that ends well

The lexical meaning of this proverb is that if the outcome of a situation is happy, this compensates for any previous difficulty or unpleasantness.

This proverb, already in use during Shakespeare’s time, but got its current popularity after Shakespeare titled his comedy play, All’s Well That Ends Well. Along with its use as the title, Shakespeare used the proverb in the text too in Act Four, Scene Four.

Helena:

“Yet, I pray you: But with the word the time will bring on summer,

When briers shall have leaves as well as thorns,

And be as sweet as sharp. We must away;

Our wagon is prepared, and time revives us:

All’s well that ends well; still the fine’s the crown;

Whate’er the course, the end is the renown.”

Break the ice:

By definition, “break the ice” means to do or say something to relieve tension, or to get the conversation started in a strained situation or when strangers meet.

Zooming in on the words, phrases and idioms coined by Shakespeare that are commonly used today

Shakespeare has a hand in making the phrase popular by using the phrase in Act One, Scene Two of his comedy, The Taming of the Shrew,

Tranio:

“And if you break the ice, and do this feat, Achieve the elder, set the younger free ...”

The actual origin of the phrase, however, goes back to much earlier times. Originally in the time when ice-breaking ships didn’t exist, the breaking of ice was first done to allow the navigation of boats, therefore the meaning of the phrase was “to forge a path for others to follow.”

Later, the phrase started to be used with its current meaning. The meaning and the contextual use of the phrase changed over a period of time, oscillating between the present use and the original use, and then finally to its current use, that is, in the social context.

Come what come may (Come what may):

Generally used as “Come what may”, the phrase means “no matter what happens”. Although Shakespeare didn’t actually come up with the phrase, unquestionably the phrase came into common use since the time he used it in his play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act One, Scene Three:

Macbeth:

“Come what come mayTime and the hour runs through the roughest day”

The previous uses of the phrase have been in French and Spanish languages (plural or singular). The essential meanings (plural or singular) of the French and Spanish phrases are “let it avail what it may” and “whatever will be, will be” respectively.

Dead as a doornail

The phrase “dead as a doornail” means to be completely dead. William Langland’s name is associated with the first use of the phrase. It is, however, true that Shakespeare is also credited for popularising the phrase in 16th century owing to the use of the phrase in his play King Henry VI, Part 2, in Act Four, Scene Ten.

Jack Cade:

“Brave thee! Ay, by the best blood that ever was broached, and beard thee too. Look on me well: 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, I pray God I may never eat grass more.”

Household word

The meaning of this noun is “a word that is well-known by the public.” This noun has become so common and is in frequent use to such an extent that it itself can be called a household word.

So far the words we discussed had been popularised by him, however, this word is not just popularised but also coined by Shakespeare, when it made an appearance in the play Henry V, Act Four, Scene Three.

King:

“Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, But he’ll remember with advantages What feats he did that day: then shall our names.

Familiar in his mouth as household words”

It was Greek to me (It’s Greek to me)

“It’s all Greek to me”, alternatively, “that’s Greek to me” is an idiom that the English speakers use when they don’t understand something said to them or when something is unintelligible.

Out of the documented uses of the idiom, the most commonly cited ones are in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar and Thomas Dekker’s play Patient Grissel. In Julius Caesar, Act One Scene Two, Servilius Casca speaks the following to Cassius after a festival in which Caesar was offered a crown.

Cassius: “Did Cicero say any thing?”

Casca: “Ay, he spoke Greek”.”

Cassius: “To what effect?”

Casca: “Nay, an I tell you that, I’ll ne’er look you i’ the face again: but those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me.”

Knock, knock! Who’s there?

It’s a phrase that follows the “call and answer” pattern. This well-known and famous phrase has long been used with different variations. It is quite commonly used as childhood game and in jokes.

Some believe Shakespeare’s use of this phrase in his play The Tragedy of Macbeth to be one of the oldest and earliest references of the phrase. However, the existing format is quite different from Shakespeare’s format. Nevertheless, the porter scene in Act Two, Scene Three of Macbeth makes Shakespeare’s use of the phrase quite a reason for its popularity.

“[Knocking within]

Knock,

Knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ the name of Beelzebub? Here’s a farmer, that hanged himself on the expectation of plenty: come in time; have napkins enow about you; here you’ll sweat for’t.

[Knocking within]

Knock, knock! Who’s there, in the other devil’s name? Faith, here’s an equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale; who committed treason enough for God’s sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven: O, come in, equivocator.

[Knocking within]

Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there? Faith, here’s an English tailor come hither, for stealing out of a French hose: come in, tailor; here you may roast your goose.”

It is ironical that the context the “Knock knock” lines were used in Macbeth was filled with tension, murder and treachery, while today it has turned into a joke and a fun-filled game.

What’s in a name?

The well-known phrase “What’s in a name?” is used to mean that a name is nothing but merely arbitrary label; to mean that names are of no value.

This is one of the most famous and the most commonly quoted line from Shakespeare’s works as a whole, and Romeo and Juliet in particular. The very idea of quoting this phrase alongside the name of its inventor is quite ironic. It is in Act Two, Scene Two.

Juliet:

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Fair play

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the meaning of “fair play” is respect for the rules or equal treatment of all concerned. Today this noun is commonly used in sports and other forms of competition. However way it is used though, the connotation remains the same.

“Fair play” is widely believed to have got its fame from the Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, Act Five, Scene One.

Miranda:

“Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle,

And I would call it, fair play.”

We can find other references too from Shakespeare’s work where he used this word quite a few times.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 13th, 2015