This is a commonly used English expression, particularly in informal contexts. Whilst it can be used in a literal sense it is most commonly used metaphorically.
Meaning
The expression is used to express the act of doing everything possible. It denotes a willingness to do anything in order to make something a success, including in some cases to go to the extreme and actually do too much. It can be interpreted in both a positive and a negative way. Sometimes it is used to express that someone is committed to something and is hard-working but in others it can be used to suggest that someone is only doing something in order to receive a reward for having done so.
Etymology
This colloquial expression is fairly modern and was first used in the United States in the 1920s. The origin of the expression is still widely debated. The most common suggestion is that it links to the fields of gymnastics and acrobatics where contortionists who, in order to impress the audience and remain in work, would contort into strange positions. Thus the idea is that they would try their utmost to bend in any possible way in order to be successful.
Example
An example of the usage of this expression can be found in a quote from American singer Dolly Parton who stated “I don’t make people bend over backwards, and I don’t like that in people. I am definitely no diva.”
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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 an English expression which is commonly used in a metaphorical context and primarily in informal situations.
Meaning
This expression is used to suggest that someone is in a bad mood and is unusually grumpy. The use of this expression suggests that there is no reason for the person to be in a bad mood and that they have simply got out of bed feeling that way.
Etymology
This expression dates back to Roman times when it is said to have been bad luck to get out of bed on the left hand side as this would mean that your day would not go well. The superstitious nature of the left hand side in Roman times was common. For example it was said to be bad luck to put your left shoe on first or to walk into a house with your left foot in front of your right.
The phrase is also sometimes said as “to wake up on the wrong side of the bed” to have the exact same meaning.
Example
An example of the usage of this expression can be found in a quote from American novelist, Tom Robbins in Still Life With a Woodpecker. The quote reads “Albert Camus wrote that the only serious question is whether to kill yourself or not. Tom Robbins wrote that the only serious question is whether time has a beginning and an end. Camus clearly got up on the wrong side of bed, and Robbins must have forgotten to set the alarm.”
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 an idiomatic English expression which is commonly used. It would be very difficult to guess the meaning of this expression without any knowledge of it as it is used in a very metaphorical way.
Meaning
This expression is used to claim that someone is accusing someone else of doing something which they themselves do. Therefore it is used in an ironic manner to suggest that someone should not judge someone else for something which they too may be guilty of.
Etymology
The expression is said to derive from the fact that if a pot which is often covered in soot mocks a kettle for having a small dusting of soot this is ironic as they both share this quality.
The earliest recorded usage of this expression can be found in Thomas Shelton’s translation of the Spanish novel by Cervantes, Don Quixote. The translation published in 1620 is titled Cervantes Saavedra’s History of Don Quixote and reads “you are like what is said that the frying-pan said to the kettle, avant, black-browes.”
The first spoken record of this expression dates to the year 1693 by Englishman William Penn who, in his Some Fruits of Solitude, wrote “or a Covetous Man to inveigh against Prodigality… is for the Pot to call the Kettle black.”
Example
An example of the usage of this expression can be found in the title of an article in The Guardian which reads “Pot McEnroe calls kettle black.” The article describes how John McEnroe in his role as commentator stated that the behaviour of Greg Rusedski at Wimbledon was unacceptable despite the fact that in his days as a tennis player McEnroe himself had behaved in a similar way.
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 frequently used English idiom. It is primarily used in spoken language and generally only in fairly informal contexts.
Meaning
This expression is used to tell someone about something which you think they will like. It can relate to anything which a person may enjoy or may be suited to do for example an item of food, a job or a holiday.
Etymology
The expression “right up your street” is the British English version of the expression whilst in American English the phrase, with the same meaning, is “right up your alley.” In both the British and American version the word “up” is interchangeable with “down” and is used just as often.
There is no definite origin of the expression although the first recorded usage of the metaphorical usage of the American expression dates to 1931. It can be found in M.E. Gilman’s Sob Sister v.65 and reads “it’s about time a good murder broke, and this one is right up your alley.”
The first usage of the British English expression can be traced back earlier than its American equivalent to the year 1929. This can be found in the Publishers’ Weekly magazine and reads “A great many of the books published today are, as the saying is, right up her street.”
Example
An example of the usage of the British English expression can be found in the 1945 novel Brideshead Revisited II which reads “she is a jolly attractive girl, the sort of girl any chap would be glad to have—artistic, too, just down your street.”
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...
