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Shakespeare is credited with introducing hundreds of new words, and by repurposing existing ones in fresh contexts, his Complete Works is believed to be the earliest source of up to 2000 English words.
Beyond single words, Shakespeare also coined numerous English phrases, proverbs, and expressions, such as the be-all and end-all, salad days, the green-eyed monster, and the milk of human kindness. However, not all his witty phrases gained the same popularity. The 10 listed here once entered everyday language but are now either obscure or have faded from common usage.
1. From Smoke Into Smother
Orlando’s situation worsens dramatically by the end of Act 1, Scene 2 in As You Like It—already stripped of his inheritance, his treacherous brother Oliver now seeks his death, and to top it all, he’s fallen deeply in love with Rosalind. He laments, “thus must I, from the smoke into the smother.” This line serves as Shakespeare’s version of “out of the frying pan, into the fire,” a meaning it has retained ever since.
2. Hold, or Cut Your Bowstrings
The closing line of Act 1 in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “Enough; hold, or cut bowstrings,” is spoken as the amateur actors (including Nick Bottom, before his transformation) finalize their plans for the Duke of Athens’s wedding performance. While the exact meaning remains unclear, the context implies, “enough discussion; we either proceed with what we have or abandon the project entirely.” This interpretation has become the widely accepted meaning of hold or cut bowstrings. Its precise origin is still debated, though one plausible theory links it to ancient archery contests.
3. Like a Boar in a Frank
The phrase to feed like a boar in a frank originates from an old English proverb inspired by a line in Shakespeare’s Henry IV: Part 2, where Prince Henry inquires, “Where sups he? Doth the old boar feed in the old frank?” Here, the “old boar” refers to the drunken knight Sir John Falstaff, and a frank is an archaic term for a pigsty. The expression ultimately conveys the idea of eating greedily or without regard for others.
4. Men Shut Their Doors Against a Setting Sun
This phrase originates from Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens, where the protagonist, a wealthy Athenian nobleman, ruins himself by excessively indulging his flattering friends with gifts and feasts until he exhausts his fortune. In the play’s first act, Apemantus, a cynical companion, ridicules Timon’s naivety and warns him that his so-called friends are only after his riches: “men shut their doors against a setting sun,” he cautions, suggesting that once Timon’s wealth vanishes, his friends will abandon him. This phrase later became a proverbial reminder to guard against exploitation by those around you.
5. An Old Cloak Makes a New Jerkin
The saying old brass will make a new pan is an age-old English proverb, likely dating back to the early Tudor era or earlier. Drawing from this, in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff remarks that “an old cloak makes a new jerkin.” This phrase, Shakespeare’s adaptation of the proverb, gained broader usage to convey that something old or seemingly useless can be repurposed or revitalized in a new and creative way (in this case, a jacket).
6. Shoot a Second Arrow (to Find the First)
“In my school days,” Bassanio remarks in The Merchant of Venice, “when I lost one arrow, I shot another of the same kind in the same direction … to locate the first; and by risking both, I often recovered both.” These lines inspired the phrase shoot a second arrow, which came to signify “using one thing to find another” or, more broadly, “making a more deliberate second attempt.”
7. Small Birds Must Have Meat
The proverb small birds must have meat originates from the 17th century, inspired by a line in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor. The original phrase, “young ravens must have food,” is uttered by Pistol, one of Falstaff’s companions, in reaction to Falstaff’s dubious choice to deceive and scheme to improve his failing fortunes.
Over time, Pistol’s words evolved into a proverbial excuse for engaging in questionable actions or going against one’s better judgment. Interestingly, the phrase also took on a more literal meaning, emphasizing that even the smallest creatures cannot survive without sustenance.
8. Recover the Wind
To recover the wind of someone refers to gaining an advantage over them, a phrase derived from a pivotal scene in Hamlet. In this scene, the prince explains his strategy to expose his deceitful uncle, Claudius, to his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The expression likely originates from hunting or tracking animals, where hunters would position themselves downwind to avoid detection by their prey.
9. A Triton Among the Minnows
In Greek mythology, Triton was the son and messenger of the sea gods Poseidon and Amphitrite. While not as prominent as his parents, Triton was still a significant deity, often credited with creating the sounds of the ocean. The phrase Triton among the minnows—taken from Shakespeare’s Coriolanus—refers to a notable figure surrounded by lesser individuals, akin to a big fish in a small pond.
However, considering the context of Shakespeare’s line and Triton’s subordinate role to his parents, some interpret Triton among the minnows as describing someone who only appears impressive because they are surrounded by inferiors, rather than someone who genuinely stands out or has surpassed their environment.
10. Will You Take Eggs for Money?
In the first act of The Winter’s Tale, Leontes, the suspicious and erratic King of Sicily, questions his young son Mamillius, asking if he would “take eggs for money.” Despite his tender age—some adaptations depict him as only 6 or 7—Mamillius boldly responds, “No, my lord; I’ll fight.”
The odd exchange stems from the fact that eggs were once so abundant in Elizabethan England that they were nearly valueless, making the notion of paying for them seem absurd. Thus, Leontes is essentially probing whether his son would allow himself to be exploited.
The phrase to take eggs for money, meaning “to be deceived” or “to be taken advantage of,” gained broader usage in English during the 17th century. Shakespeare’s original line, will you take eggs for money?, became a sarcastic jab questioning someone’s judgment. However, it has since fallen out of use, partly because paying for eggs is no longer considered unusual.
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