Origins of Expressions

  Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget Watch this on YouTube here - Drink Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget means someone who lives above their means, someone who likes expensive things, so they use all their money to afford them.  “Boy, don’t they have champagne taste on a beer budget.” Origin: So why do we say champagne taste on a beer budget?  Well, it started at the end of the 19th century, champagne was associated with prestige, and luxury and as a symbol of high status and class. Since its invention beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage, representing a more affordable and common lifestyle. The phrase 'Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget' combines the two, meaning luxury on a limited income. It was first recorded in The Globe-Republican in 1890 by Howard Fielding and Frederick R.Barton the article was called 'The Victim of his Clothes'.  It read: "School mastering I found, did not pay for a man who had acquired champagne tast...

  Come Rain or Shine Watch this on YouTube here - Rain Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Come Rain or Shine means No matter what the circumstances, “Whatever the weather”, -  “I’ll be there Rain or Shine.” Origin: This phrase started out a long time ago when the weather was an important factor in events. This phrase was first recorded in 1699, where it refers to the weather, as well as other uncertainties, and always implies that an activity will be carried out, no matter what the weather brings, it was first seen by   in his work,  Astro-meteorologica, or Aphorisms And Large Significant Discourses on the Natures and Influences of Celestial Bodies : it read: “In the meanwhile we are told our Aspect brings a Settlement as to what happens, Rain, Or Shine, for many days; but they leave the poor Disciple to determine the number himself.”  At the beginning of the 1700s we see People started to use the phrase to express the certainty that acti...

  Comparing apples and oranges   Watch this on YouTube here - Fruit Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Comparing apples and oranges means that one is trying to draw similarities between two things that are not similar, an unfair comparison. Though one may argue that apples and oranges are both fruit, they do not look, taste, feel, or smell the same.  “like apples to oranges.” Origin: The idiom has its roots in an older phrase, comparing apples and oysters, which was seen in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew in 1592 it reads: “As much as an apple doth an oyster, and all one.”  John Ray repeated that comparison in his 1670 book of proverbs, where he also spoke about comparing oysters to apples. Between the late 1600s and the late 1800s, the oysters were dropped in favor of oranges in the comparison. The expression comparing apples and oranges came into use in the 1800s, though the term's popularity didn’t take off until the latter half of the twentieth ...

  Cloud Cuckoo Land  Watch this on YouTube here - Cloud Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Cloud Cuckoo Land is A state or realm of unrealistic and idealized fancy, beyond the realms of possibility, a mythical domain a utopia. Often said to “live in Cloud cuckoo land” or “to be in Cloud cuckoo land” Examples: “Her dreams are straight from cloud cuckoo land.” “He's always got some harebrained schemes on how to make money, all of them right out of cloud-cuckoo land!”  Origin: This is not an idiom that we use or hear that much today; Cloud-cuckoo-land was coined by the 4th century BC Greek playwright Aristophanes in the whimsical and extravagant play,  The Birds It talks about how the birds made a realm to separate the gods from humankind. It read: Pisthetairos : All right then, what name shall we provide? Chorus leader: Some name from around here - to do with clouds, with    ...

  Cold Hands, Warm Heart Watch this on YouTube here - Staying In - Youtube Video Meaning: Cold hands, warm heart alludes to people who have cold hands, have kind and loving personalities.   Example Sentence:   Jessica: "I don't like holding hands with Steve. His hands are so cold."   Taylor: "Cold hands, warm heart."     Origin: This phrase has been around since the 1700’s and is said to come from a French phrase Froides mains, chaudes amours, from Dictionnaire des proverbes françois by Georges de Backer in (1710). The phrase has held the same meaning since it has been written. This idiom has been alive for a while and is still used today. The first English text of the phrase cold hands, warm heart was in 1903 by V.S. Lean in 'Collectanea."  " Cold Hands, Warm Heart" The expression does not only exist in English and French but is also known in German as Kalte Hand, Warmez Herz. Today we use it to say just because a person might s...