The Origins of Some of the Oldest Idioms in the English Language

Instructor Gideon of LetThemTalkTV goes back into linguistic history to uncover some of the oldest idioms in the English language. He explains the origins and meanings of such expressions as “flesh and blood”, “apple of my eye”, “given up the ghost”, “scot-free”, “baker’s dozen”, and “haven’t slept a wink”, all originating from Biblical texts, ancient translations, and Shakespeare‘s plays.

How far can we trace back the oldest expressions in the English language? 500 years? 1000 years? From Pliny the Elder to Alfred the Great to William Shakespeare. In this video your idiom investigator finds out.

He also talked about the most commonly used ancient idioms in the English language.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.