This is an English expression which has evolved over time and has been in use for over 400 years. It is most commonly found in literary works and is less frequently used in day-to-day conversation.
Meaning
This expression is used to denote that something has been completely destroyed. It can be used in a literal sense such as after a natural disaster when a whole area of land has been destroyed but it can also be used in a less physical sense such as when a plan goes very wrong.
Etymology
Initially it was thought that this expression derived in some way from another English expression, “to rack one’s brains.” However it is now believed that the use of the word “rack” in this expression is an old variant of the current word “wreck” rather than the medieval torture device.
The first recorded use of the expression dates to the year 1548 in a sermon made by Ephraim Udall which reads ”the flocke goeth to wrecke and vtterly perisheth.” In 1577 this phrase then evolved into “wreck and ruin” in Henry Bulle’s translation of Luther’s Commentarie upon the fiftene psalmes.
The current expression “rack and ruin” was first used a short time after this in the year 1599. It can be found in The history of Corpus Christi College and reads “In the mean season the College shall goe to rack and ruin.”
Example
An example of this expression can be found in Friedrich Nietzsche’sBeyond Good and Evil which reads “the tension of soul in misfortune which communicates to it its energy, its shuddering in view of rack and ruin, its inventiveness and bravery in undergoing, enduring, interpreting, and exploiting misfortune, and whatever depth, mystery, disguise, spirit, artifice, or greatness has been bestowed upon the soul—has it not been bestowed through suffering?”
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This expression is commonly used as a simile as it is more often than not preceded by the word “like.” To find out more about why this phrase is used read below!
Meaning
This expression is used to denote that someone is in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation. It can be used in a variety of different contexts but one example could be when starting a new job a person may be described as being “like a fish out of water” as they do not yet know the ropes and how things work.
Etymology
The first recorded usage of this expression dates to the year 1483 in a work by the poet Geoffrey Chaucer which reads “a huge man, uncouth; a master of vessel and knew all the ports; not ride well; like a fish out of water as sat on his horse.”
The idea behind this expression is said to be the well-known fact that a fish cannot survive unless it is in water as when it is taken out it begins to squirm and flop about in an attempt to find their way back to water. In this same sense when a human is in an uncomfortable situation their instinct is often also to attempt to find their way back to more familiar surroundings.
Example
An example of this phrase can be found in a quote by English dramatist Thomas Shadwell. It reads “I am, out of ladies’ company, like a fish out of water.”
Ne ratez pas
Should I be pleased to be described as “the laughing stock?”
publié le 4 June
Have you ever been described as "the laughing stock?" Do you want to know if this is a compliment or not? If this is the case then keep reading and th...
What does it mean if something happens at “the eleventh hour?”
publié le 2 June
The English idiom, "at the eleventh hour" is often used in conversation. It can seem rather confusing if you do not have prior knowledge of what it me...
This English expression is very commonly used, particularly in general day-to-day conversation. If you want to find out when and how to use it, read t...
This is a very commonly used English expression in daily conversations. To find out more about the origin and meaning read below!
Meaning
The expression is used to denote a high degree of happiness. Someone will say they are over the moon in a number of situations an example of which could be upon receiving a birthday gift which they really like.
Etymology
The expression began to be used over a century ago although it has only become commonplace in the last 30 or 40 years. One of the most famous uses of the phrase comes from the popular children’s nursery rhyme which rather than using it in the metaphorical sense used it in a literal sense. The rhyme reads; “High diddle diddle, The Cat and the Fiddle, The Cow jump’d over the Moon, The little dog laugh’d to see such Craft, And the Dish ran away with the Spoon.” It is uncertain exactly when this nursery rhyme was first invented but it is suggested that it was during the 18th century.
The increase in usage stemmed from the use of the phrase in the 1970s by football managers after a game in which their team had performed well and won. The popularisation of television enabled these interviews to be broadcasted to a large audience and as a result many more people heard this phrase and began to use it in other circumstances in their own lives.
After some time the print media then began to employ the phrase and it was the use of the phrase in the magazine Private Eye which really cemented the phrase into the English language.
Example
An example of the use of this expression can be found in the 1718 work The Coquet, or, The English Chevalier by Charles Molloy which reads “Tis he! I know him now: I shall jump over the Moon for Joy!”
Ne ratez pas
Should I be pleased to be described as “the laughing stock?”
publié le 4 June
Have you ever been described as "the laughing stock?" Do you want to know if this is a compliment or not? If this is the case then keep reading and th...
What does it mean if something happens at “the eleventh hour?”
publié le 2 June
The English idiom, "at the eleventh hour" is often used in conversation. It can seem rather confusing if you do not have prior knowledge of what it me...
This English expression is very commonly used, particularly in general day-to-day conversation. If you want to find out when and how to use it, read t...
This expression is slightly old-fashioned and out-dated although it is still used in both written and spoken English. Find out more below!
Meaning
This expression is used in order to express the idea that someone is similar to their parents. It suggests that they have many of the same qualities or characteristics as their parents.
Etymology
The expression has evolved over time with different wordings throughout the course of history. The first related expression dates to the year 1621 and used the wording “a chip of the same block.” This can be found in Robert Sanderson’s Sermons which reads “am not I a child of the same Adam … a chip of the same block, with him?”
The expression changed shortly after this to become “a chip of the old block.” An example of which can be found in John Milton’s An apology against and reads “how well dost thou now appear to be a Chip of the old block.”
The expression remained in this form until the late 19th century before morphing into the current expression “a chip off the old block.” The first example of this modern phrase dates to the year 1870 in the newspaper The Athens Messenger which reads “the children see their parents’ double-dealings, see their want of integrity, and learn them to cheat … The child is too often a chip off the old block.”
Example
An example of the usage of this expression can be found in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind which reads “If you are different, you are isolated, not only from people of your own age but from those of your parents’ generation and from your children’s generation too. They’ll never understand you and they’ll be shocked no matter what you do. But your grandparents would probably be proud of you and say: ‘Theres a chip off the old block,’ and your grandchildren will sigh enviously and say: ‘What an old rip Grandma must have been!’ and they’ll try to be like you.”
Ne ratez pas
Should I be pleased to be described as “the laughing stock?”
publié le 4 June
Have you ever been described as "the laughing stock?" Do you want to know if this is a compliment or not? If this is the case then keep reading and th...
What does it mean if something happens at “the eleventh hour?”
publié le 2 June
The English idiom, "at the eleventh hour" is often used in conversation. It can seem rather confusing if you do not have prior knowledge of what it me...
This English expression is very commonly used, particularly in general day-to-day conversation. If you want to find out when and how to use it, read t...
