A Bowl of Cherries

Watch this on YouTube here - Fruit Video - YouTube Video

Meaning:

A Bowl of Cherries is used when talking about happy circumstances; life is good. However, it can also be used ironically when things are not going as good as they should.

“Well, isn’t that a bowl of cherries”

Origin:

This idiom started out as life is just a bowl of cherries, then later shortened to the phrase a bowl of cherries. It was used back then to express life is good.

The earliest written record of life is just a bowl of cherries was in the column New York Life, by Grant Dixon, published in The Tampa Daily Times (Tampa, Florida) 1928:

“…And why not?” asked the star manicurist of one of the big uptown hotels the other day. “The life of a manicurist on one of the big liners is just a bowl of cherries, my boy, just a bowl of cherries with whipped cream on the side.”

When we hear “life is like a bowl of cherries” everyone remembers the song written by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Lew Brown, published in 1931. Ethel Merman introduced this song in George White's Scandals of 1931.

As time went on, we saw this phrase go from meaning life is great, you have no worries, to having a sour twist as an irony, nothing is going right, life isn’t a bowl of cherries.

Example:

Today we can hear it both ways as a positive or turned into a negative.

A positive sentence example is:

“I got a promotion at work and got engaged in the span of a week! Life is just a bowl of cherries these days!”

On the other hand, a negative sentence example is:

“I don’t have enough money to pay the rent, my car needs repairing, and my husband just got laid off. Life is just a bowl of cherries.”

Watch this on YouTube here - Fruit Video - YouTube Video

Comments

As Snug as a Bug in a Rug

As Snug As A Bug In A Rug Watch this on YouTube here - Staying In - YouTube Video Meaning: As snug as a bug in a rug means to be very comfortable and cozy. Example Sentence: “Aww, look at her cuddled up, as snug as a bug in a rug.” Origin: This phrase has been around for a while. The original writing of it was in 1769, in David Garrick's celebration of Shakespeare Garrick's vagary, or, England run mad; with particulars of the Stratford Jubilee. It reads: "If she has the mopus's, I'll have her, as snug as a bug in a rug." ( Mopus being a slang word for "money," naturally.) As snug as a bug in a rug started out with a much different meaning than it has today. The word “snug” was a nautical term; it was first used as an adjective in the 16th century to describe the trim, neat, compact design of a ship. Shortly after that, snug started to be used as a verb and meant “to lie close" (as in "snugging up/together for warmth or ...

Piece of Cake

Piece of Cake Watch this on YouTube here - Dessert Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Piece of Cake means A straightforward task that can easily be accomplished. An easy chore, A no-hassle task “Ahh, piece of cake.” Origin: There is another expression similar to this one that goes ‘as easy as pie.’ -But that's another video - Both sayings have identical meanings—they express ease, but why? It probably doesn’t have to do with the cooking part of these desserts, because baking a cake or pie requires a fair bit of work. First, you have to buy all of the ingredients. Then you have to make it by mixing all the necessary parts together. Then it has to be made up and put in the oven, and you wait for it to cook. Okay, it’s not exactly difficult, but I wouldn’t say it’s easy either. I am not so sure the origin of this idiom comes from the baking of the cake . However, eating the cake once it finishes cooking, now that is a different story that is way ...

Bad Egg

Bad Egg Watch this on YouTube here - Eggs Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Bad Egg is a disappointing or unpleasant person, someone who fails to meet expectations. “What a Bad Egg!” Origin: The Term Bad Egg has been around since the 1800s; back in the days before food standards were so high, it was necessary to check that you didn’t crack a bad egg in amongst the other ingredients. Cookbooks advised cracking eggs into a separate bowl to be sure. One bad egg could spoil it all, and the phrase was born; now, it refers to one bad person amongst all the other good ones, can spoil the mood. The phrase bad egg first appeared in print in the novel “Captain Priest” by Samuel A Hammett in 1855; it read: Some birds are said to carry brick-bats under their wings to sharpen their bills, and others, stones in maws to whet their appetites, but the Perfect Bird carries a brick in his hat and a stone in his boot. In the language of his class, the Perfect Bird generally turns out to be ...

Origins of Expressions

Search This Blog