The Bard is back: more Shakespeare creations

Last time we did one of these, we covered Shakespearean phrases and words that still do the rounds even in modern times. In this edition, we have much of the same – words that are attributed to William Shakespeare or used in his writing, as well as their meaning at the time and whether or not this has changed.

He was a prolific writer and liked to mix and match words, by adding and taking away prefixes, suffixes and more – so these phrases are often inventive and creative. During the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras when he was writing actively, audiences went wild for his plays and other works.

Neither here nor there

Starting off, I’ve a confession to make – this phrase wasn’t created by Shakespeare, but it was popularised by him. Its origins come from a 1574 translation of John Calvin’s sermons by Arthur Golding, and was used to refer to something irrelevant or unimportant as opposed to God. Shakespeare then used the phrase in many of his plays during the 1600s, to mean that the matter being discussed is of insignificance.

The green-eyed monster

In Othello, Iago tries to get under the titular character’s skin by insinuating that his wife is having an affair. Iago states that ‘It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on’ to refer to jealousy. Shakespeare also used this phrasing in an earlier play, The Merchant of Venice with a similar meaning. 

A sorry sight

Macbeth’s Macbeth laments to himself, uttering the phrase whilst looking at his blood-drenched hands after committing murder. Clearly, the phrase refers to a regretful, painful or otherwise uncomfortable event or action which is pitiful. He feels regret and fear at the lengths he has gone to, and as the play unfolds things get a lot worse…

Set your teeth on edge

Nowadays, this will refer to a grating or irritating noise which will have the visceral reaction of physical discomfort. Again, this is probably the case of Shakespeare making the phrase more popular, as its roots begin in the 14th century from the Wyclif Bible, and the similar phrase ‘and the teeth of sones wexen on egge’ before in Shapespeare’s usage in 2 of his plays, Henry IV, Part 1 and The Winter’s Tale.

Gossip

Shakespeare used the word within his works, both in All’s Well That Ends Well and also The Comedy of Errors. Credit comes from around 1616 for those first uses, despite the latter play’s initial performances being traced back to 1592, with many suggesting that the later date was when it was first transcribed. Gossip means to discuss the private matters of other people without them being present, usually in a vindictive manner.

He has not so much brain as earwax

Troilus and Cressida gave us this gem – and even if you did have more earwax than brains, it is easily identifiable as an insult against the IQ of King Agamemnon. It’s not really an oft-touted insult, as its emergence comes from one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem plays’ – which are hard to discern as being a comedy or a tragedy.

Alligator

Shakespeare didn’t invent alligators, but he is considered one of the first to pen the word. ‘An alligator stuff’d, and other skins / Of ill-shaped fishes’ is such an interesting piece of prose coming from Romeo and Juliet, but it is likely that the word actually originated from the Spanish phrase for lizard.

All that glitters is not gold

Shakespeare was a little late to the party on this one in The Merchant of Venice, as the origins of this phrase can be traced back to the 12th Century, with Aesop being credited for an early use. It was then plagiarised through time, but the meaning has remained consistent: not everything that looks impressive on first inspection turns out to be that way.

Yelping

An onomatopoeic word, yelping means a series of short, sharp cries. It was used by Shakespeare in Henry VI to signify the aggressive, uncouth French army as opposed to the British forces which were surrounded – and on the back foot.

Good riddance

In The Merchant of Venice, Portia wishes the Prince of Morocco a ‘gentle riddance’ which aligned with the phrase’s more positive associations, wherein it would mean ‘good luck’ in their travels. However, in Troilus and Cressida, the more common and modern association of back tidings was used for this phrase.

I shall say good night till it be morrow

Well, that was interesting – Shakespeare sure did a lot of writing! Some of these words are used today though less commonly than some of the other entries on the list, but all are pretty fun to delve into and see where they came from.