6 Abbreviated Idioms People Get Wrong

We toss around familiar sayings every day without stopping to wonder where they came from. Many of our favorite idioms, in fact, started out in other forms. For example, did you know “all work and no play” originally involved a boy named Jack? Or that “best-laid plans” centered on an unfortunate encounter with a field mouse? These centuries-old sayings have surprising origins, often in longer expressions that have since been forgotten. Passed down through generations, the phrases evolved alongside the English language, earning their place in our modern vernacular while losing a bit of context along the way. Here are the stories behind the original versions of popular English sayings.

1. “All work and no play”

Original version: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

This popular expression is often shortened to just five words, but the full quote better explains its intentions: Spending all your time working without rest makes you feel bored, uninteresting, or burnt out. Consider this interaction: “Doesn’t your boss ever take a vacation?” “No, he doesn’t believe in breaks — he’s all work and no play.”

While the meaning of the expression is clear, its origin is not. As with many English proverbs, the original author is unknown, so it’s unclear who Jack is. One of the earliest written appearances of the saying comes from James Howell’s Paroimiographia: Proverbs… (1659): “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy.” You might remember this full phrase from its appearance in The Shining movie and Jack Nicholson’s character, Jack Torrance.

2. “Best-laid plans”

Original version: “The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew.”

In modern English, “best-laid plans” refers to carefully made arrangements; it’s often used to lament when those arrangements fall apart due to circumstances beyond our control. For instance, if your friend calls to say their outdoor picnic is canceled due to rain, you might respond, “Oh no! Even the best-laid plans, right?” You might also hear a slight variation: “best-laid schemes.” Both point to an older, literary origin.

Scottish poet Robert Burns coined the phrase in his poem “To a Mouse” (1786), which he wrote about upturning a mouse’s nest while plowing a field: “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men / Gang aft agley…” In plain English, it reads: “The best laid schemes of mice and men / Go often askew…” Years later, American author John Steinbeck borrowed the expression (and the notion that plans don’t always go as expected) for the title and theme of his famed 1937 novel, Of Mice and Men.

3. “People in glass houses”

Original version: “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

This expression warns against hypocrisy, and because the proverb is so familiar in English, people often shorten it. For example, if a co-worker who is always late to work calls you out for being late one morning, you might respond with, “Hey, people in glass houses!” The extended version, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” better explains its meaning: People with faults should not criticize others for the same faults. 

The proverb is commonly credited to 17th-century Welsh poet George Herbert’s collection of proverbs, “Jacula Prudentum,” though it appears in a slightly different form: “Whose house is of glass must not throw stones at another.” However, an older version dates to Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Troilus and Criseyde” (c. 1385): “Who that hath an hed of verre, Fro cast of stones war hym in the werre!”

4. “An eye for an eye”

Original version: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.”

The centuries-old expression “an eye for an eye” means someone should receive the same treatment they gave someone else. A parent might say, for example, “My son stole my daughter’s book, so she hid his toy — an eye for an eye!” While laws of retribution have existed for thousands of years, the written expression we use today appears in the Old Testament of the Bible (Exodus 21:24-26). This historical, unabridged expression limited revenge by preventing punishments from exceeding the original harm done. The shortened version, “an eye for an eye,” became mainstream during the 16th century.

5. “Fools rush in”

Original version: “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”

Today, the expression “fools rush in” refers to reckless or thoughtless behavior. It can be used to talk about someone who doesn’t know much about what they’re doing: “I want to buy this new car, but I haven’t compared prices or other models. I know, they say fools rush in.”

The extended version of the proverb comes from Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism” (1711): “For Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.” Here, “fools” referred to literary critics, and the word was less derogatory than it is today. A few decades later, Edmund Burke popularized the saying in his “Reflections on the Revolution in France” (1793), and later Elvis Presley brought new life to the expression in his 1961 hit song “Can’t Help Falling in Love”: “Wise men say / Only fools rush in…”

6. “Oh my stars!”

Original version: “Oh, my stars and garters!”

“Oh my stars, what a beautiful sunset!” This expression of astonishment is a folksy, antiquated phrase commonly associated with the American South, but it originated in England. Christopher Marlowe’s verbosely titled play The troublesome raigne and lamentable death of Edward the second, with the Tragical Fall of Proud Mortimer (c. 1593) includes the phrase: “O my starres! Why do you lowre [scowl or look angry or sullen] unkindly on a king?” Here, “starres” likely referred to astrological bodies.

But there’s another component to the history of this expression. The Noble Order of the Garter is Britain’s oldest and most senior order of chivalry. The emblem for this order is a star. By the early 18th century, the phrase “stars and garters” was a generic term for royal honors and, by extension, the royal family themselves.

The two phrases seem to have merged during the 18th century. The older interjection “O my starres!” melded with the newer monarchy reference “stars and garters” to create “Oh my stars and garters,” a unique way to express dismay.