Page 104 - Grasp English C1 (Student Book)

8 Antıquıty

Many English idioms are confusing to non-English Some idioms come from ancient Greek customs. One
speakers, but don’t blame the English! A lot of them such phrase is “spill the beans”, which means to reveal
have their origins in ancient Greece. a secret. In ancient Greece, people voted by placing
either a white or black bean into a jar. Knocking over
Some of them come from Greek myths. Have you and spilling the beans before they were counted
ever heard someone refer to their weakness as their meant the result of the vote was revealed prematurely.
Achilles Heel? The phrase comes from the story of Another ancient Greek custom was to crown people
Achilles, whose mother dipped him in the River Styx with laurel leaves after achieving a great victory or
as a baby to make him immortal. But because she accolade. However, over time, a great person might
held him by the heel, that part was left vulnerable, become lazy and rely on their past achievements
and in time, a wound to his heel caused his death.
rather than striving higher. That is where the phrase
Have you ever been in a situation when you have resting on your laurels comes from.
achieved something, and someone is dismissive Another common idiom stemming from everyday life
towards you? A friend might console you, saying, in ancient Greece is “to get the wrong end of the stick”,
“Don’t worry, it’s just sour grapes.” This phrase comes which now means to misinterpret what someone has
from one of the fables of Aesop, a Greek storyteller. In said. In ancient Greece, getting the wrong end of the
the story, a fox can’t reach the grapes high in a vine, stick was a slightly messier experience! People used
so gives up, saying “I bet they were sour anyway.” The a piece of cloth on a stick to wipe themselves after
phrase is now used to describe anyone who is jealous going to the toilet, and they would often pass the stick
because they can’t achieve what another person around and share it with others. So it was important
can. Meanwhile, if you have fanciful, unrealistic ideas, not to get hold of the wrong end!
someone might say that you are in Cloud Cuckoo
Land. This phrase comes from a play called “The Birds” Learning the origins of idioms helps you to remember
written by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes their meanings and how to use them. Why not try to
in 414 BCE, that describes a perfect, fantasy world find more phrases with ancient origins?
between the land of the Gods and the land of men.

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