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Word Up!
Shakespeare was a bad-ass dude. You and I both know it. He helped shape the way theater is performed -- and perceived. He inspired poets and playwrights worldwide. He is haunting high-schoolers and their summer reading lists at this very moment.
But, did you know that (and I take full responsibility for the mind blowing that is about to occur) Shakespeare is in the business of possession?! OK, well, maybe I'm exaggerating just a skosh, but he has affected much of what you say on a daily basis, and you had no freakin' idea! (So, maybe the "possession" thing isn't so far fetched, after all.) You're just his marionette, and old Bill is pulling your mouth strings to say his made-up little phrases.* Things like:
Much of the things your friend convinced you that he "came up with" were first said long, long ago by someone a lot smarter. But it's true that new words are added to the dictionary every year as we begin to communally accept new terms (like when "friend" became a verb). It's what helps our language evolve. It's what allows different generations to communicate with each other in inventive ways that are now -- through social media, the mass production of books, blogs and so much more -- indelible in the history of our world.
Now, before you go repeating infamous terms like "Internets" and "refudiate", remember that not all words that make it into pop culture are fit for public use. If you wanna be sure you're coming off clever (and not clueless), keep copying Shakespeare. He's tried and true. With that said, "all's well that ends well." Deuces.
*Thanks to Pioneer Woman for the great list! (http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2010/06/twenty-interesting-things-about-shakespeare/)
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But, did you know that (and I take full responsibility for the mind blowing that is about to occur) Shakespeare is in the business of possession?! OK, well, maybe I'm exaggerating just a skosh, but he has affected much of what you say on a daily basis, and you had no freakin' idea! (So, maybe the "possession" thing isn't so far fetched, after all.) You're just his marionette, and old Bill is pulling your mouth strings to say his made-up little phrases.* Things like:
All that glitters is not gold
Bated breath
Dead as a doornail
Fancy-free
Fool’s paradise
For goodness’ sake
Good riddance
Heart of gold
In a pickle
Knock knock! Who’s there?
Laughing stock
Love is blind
Naked truth
Neither rhyme nor reason
One fell swoop
Star-crossed lovers
Pomp and circumstance
Pound of flesh
Primrose path
Too much of a good thing
Wear my heart upon my sleeve
What’s in a name?
Wild goose chase
The world’s my oyster
Boom! In your face! You thought your mom coined those little tidbits, didn't you? Well, she didn't. Big Willy did. So take that.
Much of the things your friend convinced you that he "came up with" were first said long, long ago by someone a lot smarter. But it's true that new words are added to the dictionary every year as we begin to communally accept new terms (like when "friend" became a verb). It's what helps our language evolve. It's what allows different generations to communicate with each other in inventive ways that are now -- through social media, the mass production of books, blogs and so much more -- indelible in the history of our world.
Now, before you go repeating infamous terms like "Internets" and "refudiate", remember that not all words that make it into pop culture are fit for public use. If you wanna be sure you're coming off clever (and not clueless), keep copying Shakespeare. He's tried and true. With that said, "all's well that ends well." Deuces.
*Thanks to Pioneer Woman for the great list! (http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2010/06/twenty-interesting-things-about-shakespeare/)
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