12 Misunderstood and Misquoted Shakespearean Expressions

12 Misunderstood and Misquoted Shakespearean Expressions 12 Misunderstood and Misquoted Shakespearean Expressions 12 Misunderstood and Misquoted Shakespearean Expressions By Mark Nichol The plays of William Shakespeare provide a wealth of pithy sayings many of which he likely popularized rather than produced himself, though we may still be grateful to him for sharing them. Unfortunately, sometimes the original sense is adulterated by careless usage, so that the eloquent force of the expression is weakened. Here are a dozen of Shakespeare’s phrases with comments about their original wording and meaning: 1. â€Å"At one fell swoop† This phrase from Macduff’s grief-stricken lamentation about the murder of his family in Macbeth uses the archaic word fell, meaning â€Å"fierce,† to extend the metaphor of the perpetrator (who he calls a â€Å"hell-kite†) as a bird of prey. Modern usage is generally more casual and even comical. 2. â€Å"Brave new world† This phrase from a speech by Miranda, daughter of the wizard Prospero in The Tempest, naively uses brave in the sense of â€Å"handsome† when she first lays eyes on other men. The subtext in Shakespeare is that those she refers to are superficially attractive but substantially deficient in character. The sense is the same in the phrase as it appears in the title of Aldous Huxley’s dystopian classic. Unfortunately, the dark sarcasm is being dulled by use of the phrase to blithely herald a bright future. 3. â€Å"Foregone conclusion† From Othello, this phrase means literally something that has already occurred (it has â€Å"gone before†); now, the phrase often refers to a conjectural event. 4. â€Å"Gild the lily† This misquotation from King John, which actually reads, â€Å"To gild refined gold, to paint the lily . . . is wasteful and ridiculous excess,† confuses the metaphor, because lilies are white, not gold. 5. â€Å"Lead on, Macduff† This misquotation from Macbeth, in which the title character baits his nemesis to attack him by saying, â€Å"Lay on, Macduff,† is now a variation of â€Å"After you† quite a diversion from the original intent. 6. â€Å"The milk of human kindness† This metaphor, employed in the service of a heartwarming connotation, would rouse the wrath of Lady Macbeth, whose reference to the virtue in the play named for her husband was contemptuous. 7. â€Å"More honored in the breach than the observance† This phrase from Hamlet has been twisted by time to mean an admirable custom that is neglected more often practiced. Shakespeare’s sense was of a deplorable custom that should be halted. The expression immediately follows another well-known but oft-misunderstood phrase: Hamlet refers to himself as one â€Å"to the manner born,† meaning â€Å"brought up to follow the custom,† but some people believe the phrase, when expressed out of context, to be â€Å"to the manor born,† referring to one raised in the opulent surroundings of a manor house. 8. â€Å"Neither rhyme nor reason† The modern focus is on the second element of this phrase from The Comedy of Errors, but the intent is to express a lack both of sense and of eloquence. 9. â€Å"Sea change† This expression from The Tempest refers to a deadly shift in weather, but now the sense of peril has been replaced by a connotation of significant transformation. 10. â€Å"Third degree† Shakespeare’s humorous reference in Twelfth Night to someone â€Å"in the third degree of drink† harks to the principle of degrees in natural philosophy, which assigns the third degree to the penultimate level of intensity. The modern sense is of merciless interrogation, though it’s usually employed in a lighthearted tone. 11. â€Å"What the dickens† Some of those unfamiliar with the origin of this expression The Merry Wives of Windsor assume it has a Victorian provenance and refers to Charles Dickens. But dickens is an Elizabethan euphemism for the devil, and Shakespeare employs it as an oath. 12. â€Å"The worlds mine oyster† The usual assumption is that one can easily lay the world wide open and extract its contents. But the boast in The Merry Wives of Windsor goes on to say, â€Å"Which I with sword will open,† expressing the partaker’s more active and more violent role. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs PastThe Four Sounds of the Spelling OU45 Idioms with "Roll"

5 Reasons You Just Had a Really Bad Interview

5 Reasons You Just Had a Really Bad Interview So you went in to interview for your dream job, and you didn’t get it. You probably had a bad interview. No big deal! Here are 5 things you might have done wrong, and how you can fix that next time around. 1. You Dressed for FailureIf you didn’t dress for success, you stacked the deck against yourself before you even started. Appearances do matter, particularly for job interviews and first impressions in general. Was your clothing loose, wrinkled, inappropriate, too casual, dirty, or stained? Next time consult a trusted friend, relative, or colleague to help you pick out an outfit that will help present you in a better light.2. Your Body Language is LackingIt’s possible you came across as nervous or standoffish or untrustworthy, just by biting your nails or looking in weird directions or crossing your arms. Next time, have that same trusted advisor talk you through a mock interview and take note of any suspect body language you might not know you’re using. Then fix it before the real deal.3. Your Tone is OffThe tone of what you say is almost as important as saying the right things. Were you too quiet? Too talkative? Too confident? Not confident enough? To make sure your delivery is as good as your material, mock interview with this in mind as well. And practice until you nail it.4. Your Pitch is  LackingDon’t ever forget that an interview is an opportunity to sell yourself. Don’t just show up and answer questions; come armed with every thing you can. A professional portfolio, a list of your accomplishments or awards†¦ or send a digital version before you even walk through the door. Remember, you’re the product. Make sure you make them see how much they want you.5. You Didn’t Do Your HomeworkThe research you do before an interview is crucial. If you didn’t figure out everything you possibly could about the company, the position, your interviewer- even the CEO- before you came in to interview, then you set yourself up for failure. Don’t let that happen next time!Remember: practice makes perfect. Drill yourself until you’re sure you’re not making any of these mistakes.