FAMOUS ENGLISH SAYINGS THAT YOU MAY BE MISQUOTING!
- ricrotaract
- Sep 9, 2021
- 4 min read
Sometimes the figures of speech or idioms we use in daily conversation might not mean the same thing we intend it to. Do great minds really think alike? Did curiosity actually kill the cat? Is blood actually thicker than water? Read on to find out!
Passing down wisdom through word of mouth has been a tradition arguably as old as language itself. They say ‘brevity is the soul of wit’, meaning that the concise and exact use of words is what makes conversation interesting. When idioms or sayings are passed down through word of mouth, often the exact meanings are altered. Here are some interesting phrases in the English language that we use day-to-day which may not mean the same thing when compared to its origin!
“Well-behaved women seldom make history”
Frequently quoted when speaking of trailblazing, pioneering women in the world, this phrase is used to indicate that to make a difference in the world a woman must be bold, loud and possibly antagonistic in order to demand what she deserves in the world. Although this interpretation has been used widely in the modern era it probably wasn’t what the original author, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, meant in the 1970’s. A lot of her work highlights stories of quiet, ordinary people.
In a scholarly article about little-studied Puritan funeral services, Ulrich included this same phrase. In its original iteration, Ulrich meant the quote to indicate a fact: that the quiet and compliant rarely got credit for their accomplishments and that all the news you hear about women is from women taking risks, being brave with what they desire, which is very different to how it is interpreted in present times.
“Great minds think alike”
This is a phrase we’d often use when two or more people think of a bright idea at the exact same time, assuming that it may mean exactly what it says: that they are very intelligent people for having thought the same thing at once! But when its original phrase is considered, you may be surprised to see that it has a meaning entirely opposite to the above. The original phrase, said to have originated in Greek literature, is “Great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ”. When considered in this connotation, it has quite a humorous or sarcastic undertone suggesting that the people that came to the same conclusion might not be so smart after all.
“Blood is thicker than water”
To justify prioritising bonds of blood or family loyalties over other relationships, this phrase is seen being used colloquially. The full archaic quote however, said to have originated in 12th century Germany, begs to differ. In its entirety it says:
“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”,
which actually means that bloodshed on the battlefield creates stronger ties than the water of the womb does, or family ties. So, in essence, the saying reflects the fact that the bonds you choose for yourself can mean much more than the ones you don’t have much say in. In today’s day and age, we’re not only using this phrase incorrectly but the current usage
means the exact opposite of its intended meaning.
“Curiosity killed the cat”
We use this phrase to express to people that their curiosity can only have negative consequences or outcomes, possibly discouraging further curious thoughts. But similar to the earlier idioms, this too in its original form had a completely opposite connotation. The complete quote is;
“Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back”,
which loosely decrypted, means that the satisfaction of finding answers to something you’re curious about is in itself worth going through trouble for
“Jack of all trades, master of none”
This is a more commonplace figure of speech, used when one has dabbled in multiple fields but is not proficient in any of them. It can even have a negative sarcastic connotation, claiming that “a jack of all trades” may only have superficial knowledge about things. But the older, longer version of it reads:
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”,
It is clear that this version has more of a complimentary nature to it, saying that the person in question is a generalist rather than a specialist, versatile and adept at many things.
“Rome wasn't built in a day”
In the modern context, this adage is used to emphasize the need for time to make great things happen. But the more archaic version of this phrase too tells a different story. It was first used by English playwright John Heywood, its earliest version being;
“Rome wasn’t built in a day but it burnt in one.”,
A simple interpretation of this says that even though you may have exerted a lot of time on a task it can be destroyed in a fraction of the time.
Written by: Rtr. Binuri Weerasinghe, LLB, 1st Year
Edited by: Rtr. Dulithi Jagoda, BSc. Economics and Finance, 3rd Year
Design By: Rtr. Nethmi Hasna Fernando, BSc. Economics and Management, Alumini
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