Vanish
into thin air
Meaning: Mysteriously
disappear for an unknown reason.
Origin: William
Shakespeare is credited with coining the phrase, though he did not use the
exact wording. A line from Othello is ‘vanish into air’ while one from The
Tempest says ‘into thin air’. A Scottish journalist is believed to have
combined the two in an article regarding the feud between Russia and Turkey.
Vice
versa (never ‘vice-a versa’)
Meaning: The reverse of
something that was recently stated. Example: Fish cannot ride bicycles
and vice versa, meaning bicycles cannot ride fish.
Origin: This phrase’s Latin words are translated to ‘order’ and ‘change’
or ‘turn’. The first recorded incorporation of it into the English language was
in a 1601 writing by English poet Anthony Copley.
Walking
on egg-shells
Meaning: Proceeding
carefully in order to not add unrest to an already-upsetting situation.
Origin: It is thought
this phrase began in the 1800s, when people gathered eggs from hen houses and
would take care to not step on broken shells, which would unsettle the animals.
Wall-flower
Meaning: A person at a
social gathering who tends to observe the events rather than participate in
them.
Origin: Curiously, the
slang definition of this word comes from its actual meaning- A plant that grows
best when away from others.
Watershed
moment
Meaning: A memorable
point that marks significant change in a situation.
Origin: ‘Watershed’ is a
geographical term describing an area where water from various sources combines
into one body, such as a lake. It is unclear how the term got its current use,
but it probably happened in the late 1800s.
When
one door closes, another opens
Meaning: If one opportunity is missed, fate will lead
you toward a new one.
Origin: Telephone-inventor Alexander Graham Bell is
often credited with coining this phrase, but he was probably quoting a 1500s
Spanish writing called La Celestina. It was later used in the 1600s English
translation of Don Quixote.
Whistleblower
Meaning: A person within
an organization who publicly exposes a negative aspect of it.
Origin: During the
1800s, police officers would blow whistles to attract attention to criminals.
This practice eventually spread into the world of sports (referees) and
ultimately to its modern usage. The term was popularized in the 1960s by
journalists covering the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, when three soldiers spoke
against the killings of over 500 unarmed civilians by American troops.
Wiggle
room
Meaning: An opportunity
for something that is not definitively set to still be negotiated.
Origin: The root of this
phrase is thought to lay in the shoe business, specifically saying the idea
that giving toes ‘wiggle room’ was a good thing. The path to its current use is
not known.
Wild
goose chase
Meaning: A hopeless,
time-wasting pursuit.
Origin: The first record
of this phrase was in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Back then, it
referred to certain horse races that involved erratic running and following a
leader, like how geese fly behind the head of a V formation.
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