Shakespeare did a lot of writing – some of which was done to allegedly create his own words, phrases and sayings. He added on prefixes and suffixes, combined words, changed nouns into verbs and did other such wizardry too – often, he has been credited with the first written usage of the word. Society at the time used these words and phrases – as do we, as a lot of them are still in everyday common usage to this day!
The funny thing about language is that it tends to morph as it develops, lose its fine edges in mistranslation and change with age – so even a decade on from now, we may have different phrases – but these have remained mostly unchanged, so let’s see which phrases we’ve latched onto…
‘Eaten out of house and home’
Yep, when you have a pet, guest or a relative staying who raids the fridge just a little too often, they’d be taking advantage of your hospitality. Just like Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2 who refuses to pay his tab at the local tavern, much to the chagrin of the barmaid!
‘Wears their heart on their sleeve’
Othello’s to thank for this one, highlighting the disconnect between Othello’s more honest character as opposed to Iago’s scheming and secrecy. Anyone who wears their heart on their sleeve is open, and isn’t afraid to say their true feelings.
‘The be-all, end-all’
Coming from Macbeth, this phrasing refers to his mullings over killing Duncan – that even if he did choose to assassinate him, there would still likely be consequences to come. This phrase means the ultimate goal, or the epitome of something, as in when it is achieved, there will be nothing else to top it.
‘Wild goose chase’
Someone who is pursuing a wild goose is said to be chasing after something completely unobtainable or impossible to catch. The phrasing is an iteration of other similar fool’s errands, like a historical snipe hunt to send away a character on an impossible task – but this is not the intended meaning from Shakespearean times, rather, a horse race in which the horses competed at a set distance, making them look like wild geese in flight. Romeo and Juliet’s where this one originated – or rather, Mercutio’s clever word jousting!
‘Cruel to be kind’
The context for this Hamlet-flavoured phrase is that Polonius has just been slain, and Hamlet is chastising his mother for her rather speedy new relationship after the death of his father. There are many interpretations of Hamlet and his true intentions in this scene, but the phrase itself usually means a seemingly harsh or unfair act committed in order to prevent even more cruelty from happening later down the line.
‘Brave new world’
Not only was Shakespeare’s The Tempest using this line, but the phrase is also the title of a well-known novel by Aldous Huxley. The phrase, on paper, means a utopia or newly discovered land brimming with possibility and hope.
However, oftentimes things quickly devolve and it turns out the brave new world is in fact full of pitfalls and danger. Its Shakespearean use came from Prospero’s daughter Miranda, who had grown up isolated since shipwrecking on an isolated island as a baby, and her expression is in reference to some rather handsome sailors who visit the island.
‘Breaking the ice’
This phrase comes from The Taming of The Shrew, and its use in the play matches with its meaning today – to get over the awkwardness of meeting a new person. I’m sure you’ve been involved in at least one ‘ice breaker activity’ at a club, group or job, and breaking the ice is a common way to introduce a friendly conversation to start off a relationship between acquaintances.
‘Villain, I have done thy mother’
This phrase comes from Titus Andronicus, after Tamora’s adultery is revealed. A baby is born as the result of this affair, and when the nurse brings it over, everyone (Chiron and Demetrius, Tamora’s previous sons) can immediately tell what has happened. Demetrius asks ‘Villain, what hast thou done?’ and Aaron’s retort is a pun based on the physical acts of the affair as well as the effects this will have on Tamora’s status.
Or, just an ancient ‘your mum’ joke.
‘Eyeball’
Can you hear that alarm blaring? That’s because this phrase was used way before Shakespreare’s writings, however there is a long-running belief that he was the creator of the word, when in reality he probably popularised it in the society of the time. William Patten’s writings in 1575 contained the word, so he is attributed as its creator – although with a lot of phrasings and words it may be that this was one of the initial written usages of the word instead of its creation.
‘In a pickle’
We’re back to The Tempest again where more shipwrecked survivors find themselves on an island. Stephano and Trinculo, a butler and jester, have come across a barrel of alcohol and been drunk since they landed! Pickling is a method of preserving food, so when he states that ‘I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last that, I fear me, I will never out of my bones’ – meaning that he has consumed so much alcohol that he jokes that he is well-preserved and will not decay.
Obviously, the phrasing itself has a different meaning today, mainly arising from its usage in Samuel Pepys diary when he discusses the state of his house after having workmen in.
Go, bid the soldiers shoot!
That was a lickedy-split tour through some of the most famous quotes attributed to Shakespeare. Due to contrasting records, some of the time these quotes were simply popularised by the bard rather than created by him – though he was incredibly inventive and did also do his fair share of word-mashing to create new phrases and words.
Impish Fen 
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