23 Shakespeare Phrases We Still Use Today
Ever told a friend to "break the ice" or chased a "wild-goose"? Those are Shakespeare phrases we use today. The Bard coined or popularised hundreds of English expressions that slip into daily speech. Below are 23 favourites, each with the play where it first appeared and a plain-English explanation.
Why We Still Say These Phrases
Printing presses spread his plays across England. School syllabuses kept them in front of every generation. Hollywood adaptations brought them to new audiences. Shakespeare also wrote at a moment when English was expanding fast, so many of his coinages filled gaps in the language and simply stayed.
The 23 Phrases
1. Break the ice
The Taming of the Shrew, 1.2
Tranio urges Petruchio to "break the ice" with fiery Kate, freeing Bianca's suitors to woo her. Today it means easing social awkwardness.
2. Wild-goose chase
Romeo and Juliet, 2.4
Mercutio teases Romeo about a pointless "wild-goose chase," which now means any futile pursuit.
3. Green-eyed monster
Othello, 3.3
Iago warns Othello that jealousy is a "green-eyed monster" that mocks the meat it feeds on.
4. In a pickle
The Tempest, 5.1
Alonso asks the drunken Trinculo how he came to be "in this pickle." Now it means in trouble.
5. Knock knock, who's there?
Macbeth, 2.3
The Porter's comic riff becomes the ancestor of every knock-knock joke.
6. Heart of gold
Henry V, 4.1
Pistol praises King Henry, disguised as a soldier, as having a "heart of gold."
7. Swagger
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 3.1
Puck spots the amateur actors "swaggering" through the forest. The verb soon meant walking with style.
8. Full circle
King Lear, 5.3
Edmund admits events have come "full circle." We use it when things return to their start.
9. Vanish into thin air
The Tempest, 4.1
Prospero describes the spirits he has conjured as "melted into air, into thin air." Modern English kept the magical feel.
10. Love is blind
The Merchant of Venice, 2.6
Jessica says lovers are blind to each other's faults. A maxim still cited today.
11. Wear my heart upon my sleeve
Othello, 1.1
Iago claims he won't "wear his heart upon his sleeve." Now it means showing feelings openly.
12. Star-crossed lovers
Romeo and Juliet, Prologue
The chorus labels Romeo and Juliet "star-crossed lovers." We use it for doomed romance.
13. Cold-blooded
King John, 3.1
Constance calls Austria "cold-blooded." It now describes merciless acts.
14. The game is afoot
Henry V, 3.1
Henry rallies troops with "the game's afoot." Conan Doyle later gave it to Sherlock Holmes.
15. Too much of a good thing
As You Like It, 4.1
Rosalind quips that even joy can be excessive. The phrase warns of overindulgence.
16. Bedazzled
The Taming of the Shrew, 4.5
Katherina says her eyes are "bedazzled," meaning dazzled by brilliance or sparkle.
17. Off with his head
Richard III, 3.4
Richard orders Hastings' execution with "Off with his head." Modern speakers use it jokingly.
18. Kill with kindness
The Taming of the Shrew, 4.1
Petruchio plans to "kill a wife with kindness," meaning harm done through excessive helpfulness.
19. Seen better days
As You Like It, 2.7
Duke Senior tells the starving Orlando that his exiled court has "seen better days." Still used for worn items.
20. Send him packing
Henry IV Part 1, 2.4
Falstaff vows to "send him packing." We use it for dismissing someone abruptly.
21. Good riddance
Troilus and Cressida, 2.1
Patroclus mutters "a good riddance" as Thersites storms out. Modern speakers say it when glad something is gone.
22. Lie low
Much Ado About Nothing, 5.1
Antonio advises Leonato to "lie low." Today it means keep out of sight until trouble passes.
23. All that glitters is not gold
The Merchant of Venice, 2.7
Morocco reads the inscription on the golden casket. We use it to warn against surface appearances.
Five Phrases You Already Know
"Break the ice"
The Taming of the Shrew
To ease social tension. Gremio hopes someone else will break the ice with fiery Kate.
"Green-eyed monster"
Othello
Jealousy. Iago warns Othello that it 'mocks the meat it feeds on.'
"Wild-goose chase"
Romeo and Juliet
A futile pursuit. Mercutio's jab at Romeo's wandering mind.
"Star-crossed lovers"
Romeo and Juliet
Doomed by fate — from the very first line of the Prologue.
"In a pickle"
The Tempest
In trouble or confusion. Alonso's question to the drunk Trinculo.
How Shakespeare Shaped Modern English
Shakespeare's writings provide the first known written use of over 1,700 words. He was willing to turn nouns into verbs, add prefixes, and coin new compound words. Printers kept reissuing his plays, teachers kept teaching them, and audiences kept quoting them. That is how these phrases became part of everyday speech.
Sources and Further Reading
Read the Plays
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