Handwriting is almost as unique as a fingerprint, but we’re all taught how to write from the same basic lessons. Who invented the swirls and curls of cursive script?
Like many millennia-old practices, the invention of cursive writing was more of a collective effort than something we can attribute to one person. It goes as far back as the Roman Empire, after written language first developed. Square capitals were used on inscriptions on buildings and monuments (some of which are still standing), but cursive (or script) was used for daily writing.
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Later, in the eighth century, monks created the Carolingian script — the earliest form of standardized cursive that others built upon. This script evolved during medieval times, and its twists and curls became harder to read before the Renaissance revived the Carolingian way. The earliest form of cursive you probably recognize is called Copperplate. Calligrapher Timothy Matlack penned Thomas Jefferson’s words on the original copy of the Declaration of Independence using the Copperplate script.
While beautiful, this fancy calligraphy wasn’t practical for everyday writing, so a teacher named Platt Rogers Spencer developed a new form of penmanship around the mid-1800s. He came up with the name “chirythmography,” from the Greek words for “timed hand writing.” He used a metronome for writers to keep pace with his elliptical letters, which he claimed were inspired by nature. The “Spencerian” method was taught in schools for the latter half of the 19th century.
Quick-working clerks and telegraph operators translating Morse code into script found the Spencer cursive still too time consuming, though. Enter: Austin Palmer and the Palmer method. Palmer’s idea was to make cursive writing more practical and lose the fancy flourishes from the Renaissance days. This form of script was very popular in the early 20th century and can probably be seen in old letters from your great- and great-great-grandparents.
From there, penmanship started to become big business. It was taught in grade schools, and adults entering the business world got a leg up if they completed a course in a penmanship school. The Zanerian College of Penmanship became the Zaner-Bloser Company, selling handwriting instruction material to schools. (Fun fact: Zaner-Bloser, Inc., still publishes Highlights for Children magazine.) The Zaner-Bloser cursive and the later D’Nealian cursive are the simple scripts that were taught in grade school during the second half of the 20th century. While many school districts dropped cursive curriculum in the 2010s, it recently began regaining a foothold across the United States. In 2024, California became the 22nd state to require teaching cursive handwriting in its schools.
Featured image credit: Scisetti Alfio/ Shutterstock
Adverbs are a part of speech used to add description and context to your verb choices. You can usually spot them with an “-ly” suffix, but flat adverbs are an exception. Here’s why they’re commonly confused with adjectives.
He spoke quietly. They ran quickly. The last word in each of these two sentences is an adverb, a word that modifies a verb. We know that a complete sentence has a subject (a noun or a pronoun) and a verb, but adverbs are another part of speech that serves to add color and nuance to clauses. They’re a handy writer’s tool used to describe an action or give more detail about a verb. We’re usually able to spot adverbs easily, as most end in the letters “–ly.”
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This is not always the case, though — a flat adverb is a descriptive word that’s missing that “-ly” suffix. Flat adverbs often look identical to their adjective counterparts, and both are used to modify or describe another part of speech. However, they differ in usage: Adverbs describe a verb instead of a noun. It seems simple enough, but many adverbs and adjectives are interchangeable.
Take, for example, the word “fast.” It can be used as both an adjective and an adverb. To use it as an adjective, you might say, “She was on the fast track to success.” In this example, the adjective “fast” describes the noun “track.” When “fast” is used as a flat adverb, though, the usage of the word changes. While still denoting quickness, in the phrase “she ran fast,” the flat adverb “fast” describes the speed of the verb “ran.”
There are, of course, regular adverb synonyms (“quickly,” “swiftly,” “hurriedly”) for the flat adverb “fast.” Each of these conveys a slightly different tone than the flat adverb, which helps explain why there are so many more regular adverbs than flat. If the goal is to add description, it’s usually worth using the most powerful word at your disposal.
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
The letter “a” is the shortest and first word alphabetically in the dictionary. It’s also a part of speech called an article. It joins “an” and “the” in the category as words that pair with nouns — for example, “a dog,” “an apple,” and “the bike.” Then we can insert adjectives and quantifiers to flesh out the noun phrases: “a young dog,” “a lot of apples,” “the green bike.” Seems simple enough. So why is removing the space and turning “a lot” into “alot” such a common mistake?
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Let’s first examine what the words mean. The phrase “a lot” means “a large amount.” (For example: “There are a lot of children in the family.”) “Alot” is not a word, but it’s a common misspelling of “a lot,” which should always be written as two words. The words “lots” or “many” can also be used to mean the same thing.
The word “allot,” meanwhile, has an entirely different definition. It’s a verb that means “to apportion a share or task.” (For example: “Each child will be allotted one cookie before bedtime.”) It’s related to the noun “allotment,” which means “the amount of something allocated to a particular person.”
The mistake of “alot” may be a simple typo, but if it’s done on purpose, the confusion likely comes from the words “apart” and “awhile.” These are words. “A part” is a phrase meaning “a piece of,” including the article “a” and the noun “part,” while “apart” is an adverb used to describe things that have been separated. “Awhile” is an adverb that means “for a short time,” and “a while” is a noun phrase meaning “a period of time.”In speech, these distinctions won’t be obvious, but in writing, a missing or misplaced space can change the meaning. Check your articles and “a” words to make sure you’re not piling up a lot of mistakes.
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
“A Freudian slip is saying one thing when you mean your mother.” So goes a famous joke. But why do we sometimes say one thing when we mean another? These accidental slip-ups are usually just a mistake, but they’ve been used to hilarious effect in TV and movies.
“A Freudian slip is saying one thing when you mean your mother.” So goes a beloved psychology joke.
Between political gaffes and television comedies, Freudian slips happen every day. Also called “slips of the tongue,” these mistakes are named after Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis (the analysis and treatment of emotional disorders). The technical term for the phenomenon is “parapraxis,” which can best be described as a linguistic error (either verbal or written) that expresses unconscious feelings, beliefs, or impulses. Usually, these slips are harmless and can be attributed to common experiences, such as tiredness or being distracted — for example, when a child calls their teacher “mom,” or when a parent calls their child by a sibling’s name.
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Other occurrences of parapraxis, such as the ones Freud studied, are a result of unconscious influences. Some can be deeply rooted, usually in desire, which is what most interested Freud. A common example is calling a current partner by an ex’s name. Freud first detailed these slips in his 1901 book, The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, where he referred to them as Fehlleistungen (German for “faulty actions”).
More research has been done on Freudian slips over the past century, some aiming to debunk Freud’s beliefs. Experts have yet to collect conclusive evidence that Freudian slips are a direct result of unconscious thoughts, but the topic is still up for debate. In the meantime, pop culture is full of notable examples of Freudian slips that led to great comedic effect.
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The One With Ross’s Wedding
One of the most famous Freudian slips in television history happened during season 4 of the hit sitcom Friends. In the 1998 episode “The One With Ross’s Wedding, Part 2,” Ross (played by David Schwimmer) demonstrates a familiar Freudian slip: accidentally using an ex-partner’s name for a current partner. At the altar, he says, “I, Ross, take thee, Rachel,” instead of “I, Ross, take thee, Emily,” the name of his wife-to-be. This verbal hiccup occurs after Rachel’s appearance at the ceremony takes him by surprise — a perfect example of subconscious thoughts causing a major fiasco.
Ross’ famous line came about thanks to a real slip of the tongue by Schwimmer: He genuinely mixed up the names “Rachel” and “Emily” during an earlier episode’s rehearsal. The producers loved it so much that they decided to use the mix-up as a storyline for the future wedding scene.
Meryl Streep Would Like To “Spank…”
During the 2003 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), acclaimed actress Meryl Streep took to the stage to accept an award on behalf of Charlie Kaufman, who won Best Adapted Screenplay for Adaptation. As Streep read the amusing speech that Kaufman had sent to her, she accidentally said, “I would like to spank,” rather than “thank.” The audience roared with laughter as Streep paused and covered her mouth. She went on and fixed her mistake, obviously slightly embarrassed but also appearing to see the humor in the situation.
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Raising Money for the Rich
Former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron made an unfortunate gaffe when asked about taxation during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in 2012. Cameron explained that the Tories (a conservative British political party) were busy “raising more money for the rich.” He meant to say “for the poor,” but British tabloids poked fun at the slip.
Leo’s Real-Life “Titanic” Slip-Up
Can you guess what line from Titanic was a result of a real slip of the tongue by Leonardo DiCaprio? During filming of the notorious nude drawing scene, DiCaprio made an awkward mistake — instead of directing Rose (Kate Winslet) to the couch, he said, “Over on the bed.” He quickly corrected himself, but the line was so good that producers kept it in the movie. While the actors claim there has never been anything romantic between them, perhaps DiCaprio’s Freudian slip hinted at what could have been.
“Austin Powers in Goldmember”
The Austin Powers film franchise delighted audiences with its witty writing and off-the-wall antics involving Austin Powers and Dr. Evil (both played by Mike Myers). During a scene in Austin Powers in Goldmember, Dr. Evil notices that everything Powers does is aimed at gaining his father’s approval. After Dr. Evil points this out, Powers’ lines keep referring to his father: “Nothing could be my father from the truth!” and “No, I dadn’t!”
Featured image credit: Studio Romantic/ Shutterstock
Rachel is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer. When she's not writing, you can find her wandering through a museum, exploring a new city, or advocating the importance of the Oxford comma.
When you hear the word “Goldilocks,” do you think of the phrase “juuuust right” or blond hair? The former connotation goes to show the lasting power of a good story.
When you hear the word “Goldilocks,” it’s likely paired with the phrase “juuuust right,” rather than anything having to do with blond hair. This connotation goes to show the lasting power of a good story.
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While “Goldilocks” has been a nickname for a person with bright yellow hair since the 1540s, the more modern idiomatic usage revolves around a fairy tale. It was first published by Robert Southey’s miscellany The Doctor in 1837, but the oral tradition is older. Originally, the familiar story starred a bad-tempered old woman, and then there was a similar story with a silver-haired woman. But the most favored version was about a golden-haired girl who enters the house of the Three Bears and declares the possessions of Baby Bear to be “just right” as compared to those of Father Bear and Mother Bear. It was this later version about a flaxen-haired heroine named Goldilocks that had more staying power in the cultural zeitgeist. So much so that nowadays, “Goldilocks” is a general descriptor for any sort of ideal condition in a range of fields. Let’s look at how we got here.
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Good Hair Day
As a nickname for a yellow-haired person, “goldilocks” appeared in the 16th and 17th centuries with various spellings, including “govdelokis,” “goldie-lockes,” and “Goldylocks.” By the mid-19th century, the spelling had standardized to “goldilocks.” In 1875, a revamped version of Southey’s fairy tale was published in Fraser’s Mag: “Howard was the great, big huge bear, and Charlie was the middle sized bear, and I was the little, small wee bear, and the baby was to be the goldilocks.”
While this word was mainly used to denote blond hair, it also was used to describe various yellow-flowered plants, particularly buttercups, beginning around 1578. However, this usage has largely fallen out of favor, with the narrative of the golden-haired interloper taking over popular imagination.
Just Enough
Since the mid-20th century, “Goldilocks” has been used to designate a situation, effect, or circumstances as ideal, particularly when it comes to providing the most favorable balance between contrasting or opposing factors: Goldilocks choice, Goldilocks effect, Goldilocks principle, etc. The word usually appears capitalized, referencing the name of the girl in the fairy tale, and not a general nickname.
The fairy tale is often further referenced in association with the name “Goldilocks,” as in this 1949 example from the Sewanee Review: “The writer may include or leave out too much and so distort his vision. If successful the writer will find that he has made Goldilocks’ choice of a gruel neither too hot nor too cold, but just right.”
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Since then, the term “Goldilocks” has been used with a specific meaning in a number of fields, including astronomy and economics. In astronomy, it designates a zone around a star in which conditions are thought to be suitable for planets to support life, being neither too hot nor too cold (or to describe a planet in such a zone). In economics, it describes the state of a national economy that is neither expanding too fast nor contracting, but displays ideal conditions of steady growth, low inflation, low interest rates, and more.
There you have it — the journey of “Goldilocks” from a gleaming physical descriptor to a figurative meaning of perfect averageness.
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
Forgetting a word or phrase that you know you’re familiar with can be frustrating, but it happens to everyone. This phenomenon is often referred to metaphorically as something being on the “tip of your tongue,” but the technical term is “lethologica.”
Forgetting a word or phrase that you know you’re familiar with can be frustrating, but it happens to everyone. This phenomenon is often referred to metaphorically as something being on the “tip of your tongue.” It also has a technical name, “lethologica,” meaning “the inability to remember a particular word or name.”
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That term was coined in the early 20th century from the Greek words lēthē, meaning “forgetfulness,” and logos, meaning “word.” While it’s not usually any more bothersome than forgetting a name or stumbling in the middle of a sentence, it’s ubiquitous enough to be considered a universal experience. Let’s learn more about what’s happening on the “tip of your tongue.”
Lethologica Is Universal
Tip-of-your-tongue lapses can happen to anyone, regardless of language or culture. According to a 2011 paper on lethologica that appeared in the journal Memory & Cognition, around 90% of speakers surveyed (across many languages) described the phenomenon using wording similar to the “tip of your tongue” metaphor in English.
Spanish: Lo tengo en la punta de la lengua (I have it on the tip of my tongue)
Italian: Ce l’ho sulla punta della lingua (I have it on the tip of my tongue)
French: Sur le bout de la langue (On the tip of my tongue)
Turkish: Dilimin ucunda (On the tip of my tongue)
German: Es liegt mir auf der Zunge (It’s lying on my tongue)
Greek: Είναι κάτω από τη γλώσσα μου (It’s under my tongue)
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What Causes Lethologica?
While it happens to everyone, lethologica is a complex neurological event involving many factors that aren’t completely understood. Scientists believe one contributing element could be sleep levels, as lethologica tends to happen more often to those who are tired. Other factors might include how well the memory was encoded (the base memory of the word) and interference from other memories, which can cause confusion.
Studies have also found a positive correlation with age. Older adults might experience lethologica up to once a day, while younger adults experience it around once a week. The average native English-speaking American adult knows around 42,000 dictionary words; it’s only natural that some are forgotten from time to time.
How Can Lethologica Be Resolved?
Unfortunately, there is no “cure” for this pesky phenomenon. Typically, as time passes (or if a first letter or a part of the word is remembered), the “lost” word will finally come to mind. The good news is that these events are short-term, universal experiences and don’t usually indicate serious cognitive problems. (However, if they become more persistent or frequent, that might be a sign of another condition, and you should consult a doctor.)
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Researchers also have found that once lethologica occurs when trying to remember a certain word, it is more likely to happen again later with that same word. This is because our brains respond to associations that we make with new information. After an episode of lethologica, the brain likely associates the “lost” word with the event of losing it, making the same situation more likely to reoccur. And researchers have found no evidence that continuing to dig deeper for the word helps. In fact, doing so might actually make the situation worse, causing you to draw a blank the next time you’re trying to remember it.
The best thing to do is move on — often, the missing word will spontaneously pop back into your head. Continuing to scour your brain for the right word might turn you into a loganamnosis, or someone who is obsessed with recalling a word that has been forgotten.
How Does Lethologica Differ from Lethonomia?
“Lethologica” describes the phenomenon of forgetting any word, while “lethonomia” (with the Greek root onoma, meaning “name”) refers to the inability to remember a proper name, another tip-of-your-tongue event. This can happen at any time, whether you’re watching a television show or unexpectedly running into someone in the street. It’s another short-term impairment that usually randomly resolves itself.
“Lethonomia” is a newer term — it doesn’t appear yet in most common dictionaries, as “lethologica” does — but both words were inspired by Greek mythology. The word for “forgetfulness,” lēthē, was taken from the River Lethe, a river in Hades whose water made the dead forget their life on Earth. While tip-of-your-tongue events might not be as serious as life in the underworld, the resulting sense of empty-mindedness might make you feel as if you just drank from the Lethe.
Why does an owl say “hoo hoo” in English but “bu-eong-bu-eong” in Korean? While a cat in France makes the same sounds as a cat in Germany, the depiction of those sounds, both written and vocalized, is interpreted very differently.
Why does an owl say “hoo hoo” in English but bu-eong-bu-eong in Korean? It all comes down to phonology, which is “the branch of linguistics that deals with systems of sounds within a language or between different languages.” While a cat in France makes the same sounds as a cat in Germany, the depiction of those sounds, both written and vocalized, is interpreted very differently.
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Research also suggests that the more connected a culture is with an animal, the more versions of sounds they will have for it. Could this be why in English dogs can “bark,” “woof,” “yap,” and “ruff,” but mice can only “squeak”? Let’s explore more of the onomatopoeia of animal sounds around the world.
Bees
English: “Buzz”
Since the late 14th century, “buzzing” has been used in English to denote the noise that bees and other flying insects make as they fly by. The “z” sound made by pollinators is also reflected in other languages around the world, such as in the Arabiczzzu zzzu and the Russianzh-zh-zh. However, there are a few outliers, including Japan’s unique (but just as charming) boon boon.
In English, we’ve been using the word “meow” for the sound a cat makes since the mid-19th century, but even before then, similar spellings of “miaow,” “miau,” and “meaw” were in print. This animal noise is one of the most consistent across all languages — most of the world agrees on the “m,” followed by a similar vowel sound. Some languages also have words for purring, which is called ronron in French and schnurren in German.
This simple onomatopoeia has been used in English since the mid-16th century, and across the world, most cultures agree on the noise a cow makes. One interesting exception is the Urdu language of South Asia, which uses the wordbaeh to describe a cow’s sound.
“Woof” has been in use since the days of Old English, but it was first related to weaving wefts of fabric. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that it gained a new purpose as an onomatopoeia for a dog’s bark. While the spelling of the onomatopoeia can be quite different, the repetitive sound of a bark is consistent across most languages, including in Greek (ghav ghav)and Arabic (haw haw or hab hab).
In most English-speaking countries, “croak” is the traditional sound of a frog — only American frogs say “ribbit.” This might have originated in Hollywood when the recorded sound chosen for a frog wasn’t a low, hoarse croak, but the higher-pitched sound of the Pacific tree frog. (The word “ribbit” was coined by writers for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.) But throughout the rest of the world, the most mimicked frog sound is a hoarse, croaking noise.
In English, we call the sound that a horse makes a “neigh.” This comes from the Old English word hnægan, which was probably an imitative sound. However, there are other words to describe this sound, including “whinny” or “heehaw” (also used for other barnyard animals, such as donkeys and mules).
“Squeak” comes from the Middle Swedish word skväka, meaning “to squeak, croak.” It entered English in the late 14th century and has been used to describe both creaking doors and scurrying mice ever since. The worldwide translation of a mouse’s squeak is varied, ranging from the Hebrew cleek to the Italian squitt-squitt — no two languages seem to totally agree on the sound of the little rodent.
“Oink” wasn’t used in English to describe the noises of a pig until the early 20th century. This word is of imitative origin, but to other language speakers, it might seem rather unusual to imitate a pig’s grunt as “oink.” This is one of the most varied animal sounds across the world, varying from the Swedishnöff nöff to the Polishchrum chrum. However, languages across the world seem to be in agreement on one thing: A pig likes to repeat itself.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo” is arguably the most bizarre noise on this list. It’s an imitative phrase that has been used since the mid-16th century to describe the distinctive noise of a rooster (also called a “cock”) crowing.
The bleat of a sheep is a seemingly universal sound. Even in Latin, the word bee meant “sound made by a sheep.” Most modern languages also agree on a “b” or “m” sound to begin this noise.
Rachel is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer. When she's not writing, you can find her wandering through a museum, exploring a new city, or advocating the importance of the Oxford comma.
We could go on ad infinitum (forever) about the influence of Latin on the English-speaking world, but instead, let’s learn the roots of the most common Latin phrases we use today.
Although Latin is considered a “dead language” (meaning it isn’t spoken widely as a primary language), many tongues around the world have been heavily influenced by it. Early Europeans traded with Latin speakers in the Roman Empire, and later, Catholic monks wrote religious texts and conducted services in Latin. Though relatively few English speakers know Latin today, many of our words have roots in this ancient language. We could go on ad infinitum (forever) about the influence of Latin on the English-speaking world, but instead, let’s examine the roots of the most common Latin phrases we use today.
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Ad Hoc
“Ad hoc” literally translates as “to this,” but the phrase essentially describes things created as needed, or when necessary. “Ad hoc” can be used as either an adjective (“We formed an ad hoc committee to plan the gala”) or an adverb (“Let’s buy the supplies ad hoc”).
Bona Fide
The literal Latin translation of this phrase is “with good faith,” but in modern colloquialisms, “bona fide” is another way of saying “genuine” or “sincere.” When used in legal or business contexts, it means there was no intent to defraud or deceive. (“He was a bona fide expert in personal finance.”)
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Carpe Diem
Read today as “seize the day,” this phrase comes from the Roman poet Horace and is more accurately translated as “pluck the day.” It encourages us to enjoy the current moment without worrying about the future. (“She was determined to carpe diem on her vacation.”)
Caveat Emptor
“Let the buyer beware” puts the onus (another Latin word meaning “burden”) on the person buying an item to know and understand the risk inherent in their purchase. (“Caveat emptor is a good approach when selecting a used car.”)
Deus Ex Machina
“God from the machine” sounds like a sci-fi plot, but this phrase comes from ancient Greek theater traditions. At the end of some Greek plays, a machine would raise or lower an actor playing a god onto the stage, and they would then resolve the conflict of the narrative. Today, “deus ex machina” (still mostly used as a literary device) refers to anyone or anything who suddenly and unexpectedly provides a solution.
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In Flagrante Delicto
Literally “in blazing crime,” the idiom “in flagrante delicto” loosely means “caught in the act.” This often refers to a crime, but it can also be a euphemism for sexual activity. (“When we opened the door, we saw them in flagrante delicto.”) It’s sometimes shortened to just “in flagrante.”
In Media Res
“In media res,” meaning “in the midst of things,” is a literary device that describes a story that begins in the middle of the action or plot. (“My favorite novelists tend to start a story in media res.”)
In Memoriam
As a preposition, this means “in memory of,” and as a noun, it’s a synonym (often used as a modifier) for an obituary. These are works created in memory of someone who has died. (“The actor’s photo was shown on the in memoriam photo reel.”)
Magnum Opus
Directly translated as “great work,” this is an artist’s most significant work or achievement. (“Many believe the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is Michelangelo’s magnum opus.”)
Mea Culpa
“Mea culpa,” or “by my fault” is a phrase that comes from the Roman Catholic mass, where it is said during a confessional prayer. It’s a way of acknowledging personal fault or error. (“She offered a mea culpa for forgetting my birthday.”)
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Non Sequitur
“It does not follow” — a non sequitur is a statement that does not clearly or logically follow the one before it. (“They were talking about the weather when he brought up a non sequitur about his new car.”)
Persona Non Grata
“Persona non grata” refers to an unwelcome person. As the translation suggests, you don’t want to become a persona non grata. (“The accused man was persona non grata among his former friends.”)
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Quid Pro Quo
“Something for something,” or “quid pro quo,” is when something is given in return for something else. It can be a fair exchange of goods and services, but the phrase also has a particular meaning in legal contexts. If a deal is considered one-sided, courts can decide a quid pro quo did not exist. (“The job negotiation was on a quid pro quo basis.”)
Veni, Vidi, Vici
“I came, I saw, I won.” This phrase is popularly attributed to Julius Caesar when he achieved a quick military victory in modern-day Turkey and sent this message back to the Roman Senate. (“After she won the chess tournament, the champion shouted, ‘Veni, vidi, vici.’”)
Lisa Galek is a freelance writer and editor based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her writing has appeared in Business Insider, Apartment Therapy, Scholastic Science World, and on, literally, thousands of American Greetings cards. The only thing she loves more than an Oxford comma — or an em dash — is her husband and three charming children.
Since food is such a big part of our daily lives, it’s no surprise that it has become part of our everyday phrases, sayings, and expressions, too. Here are seven food-related idioms that really take the cake.
The average person eats three times a day, which is more than 1,000 meals in a year. Add that to the amount of time we spend ordering happy hour appetizers, planning party potlucks, and discussing where to have dinner, and it’s no surprise that food has found its way into our everyday phrases, sayings, and expressions, too. Whether we’re “walking on eggshells” or “going bananas,” food seems to be always on the tip of our idiomatic tongues. Here are seven delectable idioms that really take the cake.
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Apple of My Eye
The person who is the “apple of your eye” is someone you prize above all others. The original context of this saying referred to the “aperture” or “pupil” of the human eye. The phrase appears in William Shakespeare’s 1590s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream (“Sink in the apple of his eye”), as well as in the King James translation of the Bible from 1611 (“Keep me as the apple of the eye,” Psalm 17:8).
Bring Home the Bacon
When earning a living by making money, you’re “bringing home the bacon.” This idiom has a few origin stories, one of which suggests that in the 1100s, married couples in a small town in England who visited the church and swore they hadn’t argued in the last year would be awarded a side of bacon to bring home. Another story that popularized the phrase involves boxer Joe Gans receiving a telegram from his mother in 1906, encouraging him to “bring home the bacon” (the prize money) in a fight.
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Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread
Folks have been baking bread almost as long as they’ve been growing crops. But buying presliced bread? That’s a newer option that requires automated machines to pull off in mass. The earliest effective bread-slicing machine was created by an Iowa inventor in the late 1920s. Chillicothe Baking Company was the first to sell presliced bread, so they used a version of this idiom in their advertising: “The greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped.” Today, the phrase refers to excitement for a new concept or idea.
Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
It’s important to diversify your efforts and assets — that’s why you shouldn’t “put all your eggs in one basket.” This idiom comes from an early 17th-century Spanish proverb commonly attributed to the 1605 novel Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes. Translated from the original Spanish, it reads, “‘Tis the part of a wise man to keep himself today for tomorrow, and not venture all his eggs in one basket.”
Riding the Gravy Train
When you’re in an easy situation with lots of benefits and low risk, folks might say you’re “riding the gravy train.” Some sources indicate this expression may date back to 1920s railroad workers who used it to describe an easy assignment that paid handsomely.
Take It With a Grain of Salt
When taking something with “a grain of salt,” you view it with a skeptical eye and don’t interpret it literally. The phrase possibly originated with Pliny the Elder in 77 CE. He advised ingesting an antidote for poison with a grain of salt to make it more palatable. However, it wasn’t until the early 20th century that the figurative sense of swallowing hard-to-believe material with a grain or pinch of salt came about.
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You Can't Make an Omelet Without Breaking Some Eggs
In life, as in cooking, sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing to make something else worthwhile. This idiom is generally attributed to the French soldier François de Charette, who defended King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. Presumably, his quote, “Omelets are not made without breaking eggs,” was more about battle than breakfast. Since the sacrificial eggs in question for de Charette were people, perhaps it’s time we take this idiom off the menu.
Featured image credit: Sergey Chebakov/ Shutterstock
Lisa Galek is a freelance writer and editor based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her writing has appeared in Business Insider, Apartment Therapy, Scholastic Science World, and on, literally, thousands of American Greetings cards. The only thing she loves more than an Oxford comma — or an em dash — is her husband and three charming children.
Though English borrows a lot from other languages, Americans have created plenty of unique sayings. Jump on the bandwagon and learn more about these popular idioms and expressions.
The English language is a mashup of root languages from around the world — even many idioms and proverbs are borrowed from other places. For example, to quit something “cold turkey” (abruptly) came from Canada, and we learned from the Brits that you can’t “have your cake and eat it, too” (have it both ways). But Americans have also created plenty of their own sayings, so jump on the bandwagon and learn more about these popular idioms and expressions that are unique to American English.
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Plead the Fifth
Meaning: Remain quiet
Non-Americans might not recognize that this phrase alludes to the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It protects citizens from self-incrimination, which is commonly known as the “right to remain silent.” Americans reference this amendment slangily when they don’t want to answer a question (but obviously did something wrong), as in, “Who ate the last piece of pizza?” “I plead the fifth!” The Fifth Amendment has been around since 1791, but “pleading the fifth” as an expression didn’t emerge until the 1950s.
Putting Lipstick on a Pig
Meaning: To make superficial changes in an attempt at making something more favorable
Swine cosmetics aren’t the latest trend — this saying is a valuable life lesson. It suggests that you can dress something up, but that doesn’t change what it is. Charles H. Spurgeon’s 1887 collection of proverbs contained an early variation of the phrase, “A hog in a silk waistcoat is still a hog,” which likely inspired the American version, though the latter wasn’t recorded for another century. The first written account of the “lipstick” wording dates to a 1985 article from TheWashington Post, which discussed plans of a park renovation that locals felt should be much grander. A radio host commented, “That would be like putting lipstick on a pig.”
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Shoot the Breeze
Meaning: To gossip or talk idly
This idiom has nothing to do with projectiles and everything to do with small talk. The phrase emerged in the mid-20th century, when “breeze” was slang for “a rumor.” One of the earliest recorded examples of the expression dates to 1937 in the Indiana Weekly Messenger, which included the quote, “I’m no cop. I just wanted to shoot the breeze with you.” This might have evolved from the earlier saying “shoot the bull,” taken from the phrase “bull session,” which described an informal gathering for discussion.
Jump on the Bandwagon
Meaning: Support what is already popular
American showman P.T. Barnum popularized the term “bandwagon” in the mid-19th century, but today it references much more than the circus. A bandwagon was originally a large vehicle that carried the musical act during a circus or a parade and was used to draw a crowd of spectators. Today, it is a metaphorical wagon that fans “jump” on en masse to support their favorite sports team, politician, or celebrity. A bandwagon can also denote a party, cause, or movement. Whatever the entity is, it gathers more attention because of its mass appeal.
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Break a Leg
Meaning: Good luck
To non-English speakers, this might sound insulting to hear before a big performance, but in the theater lexicon, “break a leg” means “good luck.” It originated in 20th-century American playhouses, born from the superstition that saying “good luck” might have the opposite effect. The expression could have been adapted from the German phrase Hals-und Beinbruch (meaning “neck and leg break”), which likely came from a Hebrew blessing that sounded similar, hatzlakha u-brakha (“success and blessing”).
In the Nosebleeds
Meaning: The highest (and cheapest) seats
With these nosebleeds, you’ll need to trade in the tissues for binoculars. In America, these seats are the cheapest and highest in a stadium or venue — they’re the farthest from the stage or field. The expression comes from the high altitude of the seats, alluding to the idea that an attendee could suffer from a nosebleed up there. It first appeared in the 1950s to describe seats in American football stadiums, and gained traction in the 1980s. The British also have a fun nickname for these seats — “the gods” (as in “closest to”).
Riding Shotgun
Meaning: Sitting in the passenger seat
American kids might exclaim, “I call shotgun,” before a road trip — something that could be very puzzling to a foreign bystander. The idea of a shotgun seat dates to the Wild West, when an armed man rode beside the driver on a stagecoach (a public transportation coach pulled by horses) to protect passengers from would-be attackers. Hollywood Westerns popularized the phrase “riding shotgun,” and by the 1950s, it was a common slang term used by American kids.
Green Thumb
Meaning: Great at gardening
No need to rush your green-thumbed friend to the doctor — the expression simply means that they are excellent at growing plants. The term was first recorded in the Ironwood Daily Globe as “horticultural slang” in 1937. The British version of this is “green fingers,” which dates to the 1906 novel The Misses Make-Believe by Mary Stuart Boyd. There are several entertaining theories about where these phrases came from, but the most amusing involves King Edward I’s love of peas. Whichever of his workers had the greenest thumb did the most work (shelling the most peas) and would be honored. A more likely explanation is the color green’s association with plants, or the algae that grows on potted plants that gets all over gardeners’ hands.
Sounding Like a Broken Record
Meaning: Repetitive
If someone or something is repeating over and over again (usually to the point of being annoying), it sounds like a broken record. When a vinyl record is scratched or dented, its needle might get stuck, causing that section of music to play on repeat. From this annoying occurrence, a popular idiom was born. Though the phonograph (an early record player) was invented in 1877, this expression wasn’t coined until the 1930s.
Rachel is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer. When she's not writing, you can find her wandering through a museum, exploring a new city, or advocating the importance of the Oxford comma.
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