{"id":70301,"date":"2014-06-12T09:38:54","date_gmt":"2014-06-12T08:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/insight\/origin-of-phrases-part-nine\/"},"modified":"2014-06-12T09:38:54","modified_gmt":"2014-06-12T08:38:54","slug":"origin-of-phrases-part-nine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/origin-of-phrases-part-nine\/","title":{"rendered":"The origin of phrases: Part nine"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you like nature, you\u2019ll love these idioms. Actually that\u2019s not strictly factual but hopefully you\u2019ve landed here because you like language or history so at the very least it\u2019s worth a read.
\nDown to earth<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> Someone who is humble, not boastful.
\nOrigin:<\/em> There\u2019s very little information around the origins of this phrase but sources agree that it likely developed from the idea that to have your feet firmly on the ground means to be \u2018rooted\u2019, sensible etc. It may be that this particular phrase began as part of a longer one, along the lines of \u2018bringing that person down to earth with a bang\u2019.
\nSea change<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> A transformation or radical change.
\nOrigin: <\/em>Sources agree that Shakespeare was the first to use this phrase, in his 1610 play The Tempest<\/em>. In the script, Ariel sings:<\/p>\n

Full fathom five thy father lies;
\nOf his bones are coral made;
\nThose are pearls that were his eyes:
\nNothing of him that doth fade
\nBut doth suffer a sea-change
\nInto something rich and strange.
\nSea-nymphs hourly ring his knell<\/p>\n

Sell down the river<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> To betray someone.
\nOrigin:<\/em> This phrase has a gloomy history, originating from the days when slaves were traded around the Mississippi river in the US. Those slaves in the northern part of the region who caused their owners trouble were literally sold down the river to the southern states. Slaves kept in these plantations were said to endure much harsher conditions. The figurative meaning didn\u2019t appear until 1927, when P.G.Wodehouse wrote: \u2018When Sigsbee Waddington married for the second time, he to all intents and purposes sold himself down the river\u2019 (Small Bachelor<\/em>).
\nA rising tide lifts all boats<\/strong>
\nMeaning:<\/em> The idea that when the economy is healthy, everybody will benefit from it.
\nOrigin: <\/em>US President John F Kennedy said in his speech at the Municipal Auditorium in Canton, Ohio, 1960: \u2018I think we must develop our natural resources. You cannot bring industry into Ohio unless you have clean rivers. I think the greatest asset that has happened to Ohio during the last few years, except for Governor Di Salle’s election, was the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and I was proud, though I came from Massachusetts, to vote for it, because it is a national asset and a rising tide lifts all boats. If Ohio moves ahead, so will Massachusetts.\u2019
\nThere\u2019s more where that came from\u2026in part six<\/a> we looked at ANIMALS, part seven<\/a> covered CLOTHING, part eight<\/a> was MUSIC. Keep your eyes peeled for the final instalment soon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you like nature, you\u2019ll love these idioms. Actually that\u2019s not strictly factual but hopefully you\u2019ve landed here because you like language or history so at the very least it\u2019s worth a read. Down to earth Meaning: Someone who is humble, not boastful. Origin: There\u2019s very little information around the origins of this phrase but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[314],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-copywriting-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe origin of phrases: Part nine - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Marketing Agency<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/origin-of-phrases-part-nine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The origin of phrases: Part nine - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Marketing Agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you like nature, you\u2019ll love these idioms. 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