William Shakespeare was a prolific playwright and author often regarded as the greatest writer in the history of the English language, some of his best-known works include “Romeo and Juliet” and “Macbeth”, but, did you know his influence extends all the way to present time? Many day-to-day sayings and phrasal verbs were coined from his works.
Here are some of the most commonly used ones :
To lie low
Meaning: to hide, and stay out of trouble
Example: Our lawyers advised us to lay low until the new agreement has been signed.
A night owl
Meaning: a person who is busy at night while other people are asleep
Example: My daughter spends all night awake watching tv and finishing up on schoolwork. She’s a real night owl.
To break the ice
Meaning: make people feel relaxed when they first meet
Example: Josephine likes to start meetings by having everyone share a little tidbit about themselves, this helps to break the ice.
Green-eyed monster
Meaning: a person who is incredibly jealous.
Example: When Marilyn started dating that guy from her Chemistry class I could see the green-eyed monster peeking
Seen better days
Meaning: to be worn out, have fallen into a state of decline.
Example: This chair has some holes and it is a bit ragged, it’s definitely seen better days.
Good riddance
Meaning: a welcome relief or deliverance from something.
Example: He was always a problematic worker, when he said he would leave I just said “Good Riddance”.
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