William Shakespeare has had a significant impact on our language. And many of the terms he invented are still used today. Today, I’m going to be talking about a phrase of his that many don’t realise was created by him. The phrase “The game is afoot” first came about in Shakespeare’s play “Henry IV”. It …
“Ah cheers Luv. I’ve been feelin a bit Uncle Dick lately”. Some of you will have read that and be wondering what on Earth I’m talking about. “Uncle Dick” is another way of saying “sick”. This is an excellent example of Cockney Rhyming slang. If you ever visit England, you might be lucky enough to …
When something happens to us, or we get told something that surprises us, there are going to be very few of us who will straight up say “this information is something that has caught me by surprise”. Instead, we’ll use phrases that show just how surprised we are, but are much shorter. The phrase “Heavens …
Have you ever gotten super angry, upset, annoyed, or sad about something? Have you ever found the thing which puts you in such a terrible mood is nothing that you should have worried too much about? If you’ve ever done this (and I sure as Hell know I have), you could say that you were …
In this life, we’re human. And as human beings, we sometimes do things wrong. And a lot of the time, when we get things wrong, people might want to ask us about what we did and why we have done it. If anyone ever says to you “I have a bone to pick with you”. …
Have you ever been trying to talk to someone, but no matter what you say to them, your words just seem to one in one ear and out the other? This is the kind of situation where you might say “There are none so blind as those who will not see”. “There are none so …
There are none so blind as those who will not see – Meaning and Origin Read More »
Sometimes in life, we might feel like giving up. As tempting as this can be. We must do all that we can to avoid it. Because when you give up too quickly, you’ll never know what you are really capable of. When someone is trying to encourage you to keep on going and not give …
If at first you don’t succeed – Meaning and Origin Read More »
So many different phrases are in the English languages. Some of them are said daily, and most of us will automatically know what they mean. But other phrases have now faded out of popularity or are perhaps yet to have it. One such phrase is “Lucky Pierre”. Two different people could be called “Lucky Pierre”. …
In the incredible world known as the “office” there are certain phrases that will get said a lot. Most of them will go right over our heads, and we won’t even think twice about them. But here at Grammar How, we like to think about the phrases and the words that we use. One phrase …
Include but not limited to – Meaning and punctuation explained Read More »
Throughout time, there have been more and more idioms that have come about in the English language. And these can come from a variety of places, literature, religion, culture. But one area that you might not expect a common idiom to come from is crime. Running numbers was said initially by criminals in the 1920s …
