Maybe it’s a good thing that we don’t all still speak in Old English, but here are several commonplace phrases that actually did originate from the works of Shakespeare:

  1. “More fool you” – The Taming of the Shrew
  2. “All of a sudden” – The Taming of the Shrew
  3. “Bated Breath” – The Merchant of Venice
  4. “Break the Ice” – The Taming of the Shrew
  5. “Faint Hearted” – Henry VI 
  6. “Foregone Conclusion” – Othello
  7. “Good riddance” – Troilus and Cressida
  8. “Heart of gold” – Henry V
  9. “Laughing Stock” – The Merry Wives of Windsor
  10. “Wild Goose-chase” – Romeo and Juliet
  11. “Kill with kindness” – The Taming of the Shrew
  12. “As Luck would have it” – The Merry Wives of Windsor
  13. “Vanish into thin air” – Othello and The Tempest
  14. “For goodness sake” – Henry VIII
  15. “Knock knock, who’s there?” – Macbeth