This is an English proverb which has existed for many centuries although nowadays it is not commonly used. Read below if you would like to find out more about the meaning and origin.
Meaning
The expression is used to express the fact that people will only do things that they want to do themselves. The idea behind the expression is that a person can try and influence another to do something but at the end of the day an individual will make their own choices.
Etymology
The expression can be dated back as early as the year 1175 in Old English Homilies which reads “Hwa is thet mei thet hors wettrien the him self nule drinken” (who can give water to the horse that will not drink of its own accord?) Since this first usage in the 12th century the expression has been used frequently in articles and literature.
More recently it has also inspired another, more humorous, expression which was coined by Dorothy Parker. In 1937 she was quoted to have used the expression “you can lead a horticulture but you can’t make her think.”
Example
An example of this expression can be found in the 1602 play Narcissus which reads “your parents have done what they coode, they can but bringe horse to the water brinke, but horse may choose whether that horse will drinke.”
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This English expression is commonly used in day-to-day conversation as a metaphor rather than in a literal sense. If you want to find out more about its origin and meaning then keep reading!
Meaning
The expression is employed in order to denote that something is really good or excellent. It most often relates to the extremely high quality of something.
Etymology
It is believed that the expression first came into use in 20th century America. At this time it was used in a nonsensical way such as in Zane Grey’s 1909 story, The Shortstop, which reads “How’s yer ham trees? Wal, dog-gone me! Why, over in Indianer our ham trees is sproutin’ powerful. An’ how about the bee’s knees? Got any bee’s knees this Spring?” It is likely that it came into use solely because the words “bee” and “knee” rhyme.
It was in around the 1920s that the expression began to take on a meaning. The idea behind it was that when a bee carries pollen back to their hive it is stored in small sacs on their legs and therefore the high quality honey is kept close to the knees of bees.
Example
An example of this expression in use can be found in Jonathan Safran Foer’s, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It reads “she wanted more, more slang, more figures of speech, the bee’s knees, the cats pajamas, horse of a different color, dog-tired, she wanted to talk like she was born here, like she never came from anywhere else”
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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...
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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 sounds extremely strange to anyone who is not familiar with it as of course cats do not wear pyjamas. If you want to know what this expression is used for and why then keep reading!
Meaning
This English expression is used in order to express that something is great. Like many other English idioms it involves an animal although it is not used exclusively in relation to cats.
Etymology
This expression was first used in the 1920s in the United States as slang. It came into usage at the same time as other similar expressions such as “the bee’s knees” and “the cat’s whiskers.” The word “cat” does not refer to the animal but in fact to the fact that the word “cat” was used to describe female jazz artists at the time. This was combined with the word “pyjamas” which were, at the time, a relatively new invention in order to describe something which was extremely desirable.
The expression can be found with the word “pyjamas” spelt in the British English way or as “pajamas” following the conventions of American English.
Example
An example of the expression can be found in a quote by the American actor George Dzundza. It reads “I love Philadelphia. I was shocked at what a great city this is. For me, it is the cat’s pajamas. I love everything about it. I love where I live. I love the people. I have been met with such kindness and affection here.”
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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...
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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 English expression is rather informal and therefore is mostly found in spoken language and not in literary works. Read below to learn about when it should be used!
Meaning
The expression is used to mean “to make fun of.” It is a synonym of the word “tease” but is a more informal and conversational way of expressing this. It can be expressed in a number of different ways “to take/to extract the mickey/mike/mick.”
Etymology
The first recorded use of the expression dates to the year 1952 in J. Henry’s Who lie in Gaol which reads “she’s a terror. I expect she’ll try and take the mickey out of you all right. Don’t you stand for nothin’.”
The expression is said to have evolved from other similar expressions. One of these which is still used interchangeably is the expression “to take the mike.” The first use of this dates to the year 1935. It can be found in George Ingram’s Cockney Cavalcade which reads “he wouldn’t let Pancake ‘take the mike’ out of him.”
Example
An example of this expression can be found in a quote by businessman Richard Branson. It reads “I never get the accountants in before I start up a business. It’s done on gut feeling, especially if I can see that they are taking the mickey out of the consumer.”
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...
