This is a frequently used English expression which is not used in a literal sense as of course this would not be possible, instead it is used in a metaphorical context. If you would like to learn when it should be used then keep reading this article
Meaning
The expression is used to denote that someone is being fully open. Generally it is used when someone is showing all their feelings in an open and public way and therefore opening themselves up to others.
Etymology
The expression was coined by William Shakespeare in his play Othello in 1604. The first passage in which it can be found is said by the character Iago and reads;
“It is as sure as you are Roderigo,
Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago:
In following him, I follow but myself;Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
But seeming so, for my peculiar end:
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern, ’tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.”
Example
An example of the expression in usage can be found in an infamous quote from Margaret Thatcher. She is quoted to have proclaimed “to wear your heart on your sleeve isn’t a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best.”
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This is a very commonly used English expression which has its roots in the nautical world although it is now used in a much less literal way. If you would like to find out when to use it then keep reading this article!
Meaning
The expression is used to denote the act of making a big effort. Most commonly it refers to the spending of money and the act of spending more than usual in order to mark a special occasion.
Etymology
The first recorded example of the phrase dates to the year 1937 in J. Curtis’ You’re in Racket. The phrase reads “this bloke you’re meeting up the Old Jacket and Vest to-night, let him push the boat out. Surely he can pester for a tightener if you’re hungry.” At this time the phrase was used to denote the act of buying someone a round of drinks.
It is unclear when the meaning of the expression was extended but it is suggested that this happened gradually sometime over the latter half of the 20th century.
Example
An example of the phrase in use can be found in a quote made by English actor, Stephen Fry. It reads “I have pushed the boat out as far as I should in terms of taking on too many things. I’m getting older and I just could not take it any more. I am now monitoring myself very closely and I’m just trying not to get into that sort of state again.”
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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 informal contexts. If you want to find out when it should be used and where it originates from then keep reading!
Meaning
This expression is used to denote that a person is capable of doing a variety of things. The expression is often followed by the phrase “master of none” in order to highlight that whilst a person has the ability to turn their hand to many different things they do not often excel in any of them. In general this phrase is used in a derogatory fashion.
Etymology
The first use of the expression dates to the year 1612 in Essayes and characters of a prison and prisoners by Geffray Minshull which told of his experience in prison. It reads “some broken Citizen, who hath plaid Jack of all trades.”
It was then in the latter half of the 18th century that the second part of the phrase, “master of none,” was added. It was first found in Pharmacomastix by Charles Lucas which reads “the very Druggist, who in all other nations in Europe is but Pharmacopola, a mere drug-merchant, is with us, not only a physician and chirurgeon, but also a Galenic and Chemic apothecary; a seller of drugs, medicines, vertices, oils, paints or colours poysons, & a Jack of all trades, and in truth, master of none.”
Example
An example of the phrase can be found in a quote by American writer Napoleon Hill who stated “the jack-of-all-trades seldom is good at any. Concentrate all of your efforts on one definite chief aim.”
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...
If a person is called “bone idle” it is the very opposite of a compliment! If you want to find out what it does mean and where it comes from then keep reading this article!
Meaning
The expression is used in order to describe someone who is lazy. The phrase does not just suggest laziness though, it suggests that a person is completely and utterly useless and lazy.
Etymology
A similar expression dates to the year 1830 in The Vocabulary Of East Anglia by Robert Forby. It reads “bone-lazy, bone-sore, bone-tired, adj. so lazy, sore, or tired, that the laziness, the soreness, or the fatigue, seem to have penetrated the very bones.”
Forby never used the exact expression “bone idle” and we have to wait until the year 1836 to find the first use of this exact phrase. It can be found in Thomas Carlyle’s New Letters which reads “for the last three weeks I have been going what you call bone-idle.”
Example
An example of the expression in use can be found in a quote from musician, Noel Gallacher. He is quoted to have said “I can make going to the dry-cleaners last an entire day, and the dry cleaners might be 150 yards from my front door. You might find it hard to believe, but I am bone-idle lazy.”
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...
