Proverbs, Sayings, Idioms and Phrases

Origin of the proverb This proverb was coined by the poet Robert Browning. Browning wrote 'less is more' in his poem 'Andrea del Sarto (Called The Faultless Painter)', which was published in 1855. Meaning 'Less is more' means that very often doing a something small well is better than doing a … [Read more...] about ‘Less is more’ - Origin, Meaning and Explanation

Origin This proverb was coined by the playwright William Shakespeare. In his work, 'Hamlet, Prince of Denmark' (usually dated around 1599), the courtier Polonius says in Act II 'brevity is the soul of wit'. Polonius' character is that of a pedantic person who likes to talk at length and use … [Read more...] about ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’- Origin, Meaning, Explanation, Importance

Origin The origin of this proverb is unclear, however the first written instances of 'home is where the heart is' appear in the mid-nineteenth century. Perhaps the earliest of all is in a work by Joseph Neal in 1847. However, some people believe that the phrase was said earlier, in the mid … [Read more...] about ‘Home is where the heart is’ - Origin, Meaning, Explanation and Importance of the Proverb

Origin of the proverb. 'Out of sight out of mind' is a proverb that has existed since at least the medieval times. Its first printed usage is possibly in a 1562 collection of proverbs by John Heywood. However, Heywood's project was to create a list of common proverbs. This suggests that the proverb … [Read more...] about ‘Out of sight out of mind’ - Origin, Meaning, Expansion, Importance

Origin of the proverb. This proverb 'let bygones be bygones' first appeared in print in 1562 in a collection of proverbs compiled by the British author John Heywood. However, as Heywood himself noted, the proverbs in his book were already in existence in oral culture: Heywood was merely noting … [Read more...] about ‘Let bygones be bygones’ - Origin, Meaning, Expansion and Importance