Shakespeare Idioms
"off with his head"
Kill him
"If? Thou protector of this damnèd strumpet, talk'st thou to me of "ifs"? Thou art a traitor—Off with his head." — Richard III
"Forever and a day"
For a very long time and more.
"Now tell me how long you would have her after you have possessed her." — Rosalind
"Forever and a day" — Orlando
"Seen better days"
If you say that something has seen better days, you mean that it is old and in poor condition.
"Good riddance"
said to express relief at being free of a troublesome or unwanted person or thing.
critic
one who judges merit or expresses a reasoned opinion
-Love's Labour's Lost, Act 3 Scene 1
"fair play"
respect for the rules of a game
"Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle, and I would call it fair play." — Miranda
"break the ice"
do or say something to relieve tension or get conversation going at the start of a party or when people meet for the first time.
"Cold-blooded"
without emotion or pity
“Thou cold-blooded slave, hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side, been sworn my soldier, bidding me depend upon thy stars, thy fortune and thy strength, and dost thou now fall over to my fores?” – Constance
"Wear my heart upon my sleeve"
To expose my feelings, be vulnerable
-Othello, Act 1 Scene 1
fashionable
stylish; characteristic of a particular period
-Troilus and Cressida, Act 3 Scene 3
"Wild goose chase"
a foolish and hopeless pursuit of something unattainable.
"Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase, I am done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five. Was I with you there for the goose?" -Mercutio
"Melted into thin air"
To disappear suddenly, leaving no traces
The Tempest, Act 4 Scene 1
'The world is my oyster"
I can achieve whatever I want to in life
-The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 2 Scene 2
"lie low"
keep out of sight; avoid detection or attention.
-Much Ado About Nothing
Gossip
to talk casually, usually about others
-The Comedy of Errors, Act 5 Scene 1
"Love is blind"
loving someone makes you unable to see their faults or flaws.
"Green-eyed monster"
jealousy
"All that glitters isn't gold"
Things are not as good as they appear to be
-The Merchant of Venice, Act 2 Scene 7
"kill with kindness"
To cause discomfort to someone by treating him or her in a way that is extremely kind or helpful instead of returning the insult
- The Taming of the Shrew
Worthless
having no value or merit; contemptible
-The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 4 Scene 2
"You've got to be cruel to be kind"
something that you say when you do something to someone that will upset them now because you think it will help them in the future.
"star crossed lovers"
Lovers doomed by outside forces
Romeo and Juliet, Prologue
"forgone conclusion"
an unstoppable result
"one fell swoop"
To do something in one fell swoop is to do it suddenly or in a single, swift action.
-Macbeth
Jaded
worn out; bored or past feeling
-Henry VI Part 2, Act 4 Scene 1