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5 Phrases Invented By Shakespeare That We Still Use Today

Thanks William!

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5 Phrases Invented By Shakespeare That We Still Use Today

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We all know Shakespeare. From his sonnets to Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare is someone everyone has read. But did you know just how many words and phrases he's invited? Literally hundreds!

Here's a list of our top 5 phrases and words good-ole William invented that are still being used today!

Elbow Room

Used by King John, this was the first useage of the phrase. While we know it as physically looking for more room, King John was looking for some extra space for his soul. Talk about deep!!

Wear My Heart On My Sleeve

Instead of being the cheesy phrase used by teen heartthrobs in Netflix originals, this phrase was used by Iago in Othello as a personality trait between good and bad people.

Love is Blind

This phrase still holds the same meaning today as it did in Shakespeare's time. In The Merchant of Venice, it is used by Lorenzo as he states his ever-longing love for Jessica.

Neither Here Nor There

This too still holds the same old meaning from back in William's days. To say it doesn't matter now or later, this phrase was used first by Emilia in Othello to console Desdemona that her itching eye doesn't mean she is going to cry.

The Be-All And The End-All

In today's society this means becoming the boss at a major company is the height of the world. In Macbeth, this meant murdering King Duncan without getting caught. Clearly, the times have changed.


At times, we don't recognize that some of the things we say are influenced by those that produced great literature. If you always wondered where these came from, now you know!

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