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A proverbial phrase or expression is a type of conventional saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. [1] [2] In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial phrase as:
The original meaning was similar to "the game is afoot", but its modern meaning, like that of the phrase "crossing the Rubicon", denotes passing the point of no return on a momentous decision and entering into a risky endeavor where the outcome is left to chance. alenda lux ubi orta libertas: Let light be nourished where liberty has arisen
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, sometimes referred to simply as Brewer's, is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of many famous phrases, allusions, and figures, whether historical or mythical . The "New Edition revised, corrected, and enlarged" from 1895 is now in the public domain, and Web-based versions are ...
List of Latin phrases. This is a list of Wikipedia articles of Latin phrases and their translation into English. To view all phrases on a single, lengthy document, see: List of Latin phrases (full) The list is also divided alphabetically into twenty pages: List of Latin phrases (A)
Another phrase is Am Sankt-Nimmerleins-Tag ("on St. Never's Day"). [19] Wenn Weihnachten und Ostern auf einen Tag fallen! ("when Christmas and Easter are on the same day") Georgian– როცა ვირი ხეზე ავა ("when the donkey climbs the tree") Greek – Του Αγίου Ποτέ ("on St.
Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars". The phrase has origins with Virgil, who wrote in his Aeneid: " sic itur ad astra " ('thus one journeys to the stars') [ 1] and " opta ardua pennis astra sequi " ('desire to pursue the high [/hard to reach] stars on wings'). [ 2] Another origin is Seneca the Younger, who wrote in Hercules: " non ...
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).
Hoist with his own petard. " Hoist with his own petard " is a phrase from a speech in William Shakespeare 's play Hamlet that has become proverbial. The phrase's meaning is that a bomb-maker is blown ("hoist", the past tense of "hoise") off the ground by his own bomb ("petard"), and indicates an ironic reversal or poetic justice. [ 1]