Rest on your laurels origin

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Highly-accomplished people are often praised for their deeds. Besides their culinary or ornamental uses, the idea of a crown of laurels stems from the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo, ruler of the sun and god of music. When Apollo wanted to woo the nymph Daphne, she turned into a laurel tree instead of returning his affections. Though he was rejected, Apollo decided to don a crown of laurel leaves in her honor. In ancient Greek tradition, these crowns were gifted to athletic champions and seen as symbols of status and victory. In , England established the position of Poet Laureate, and esteemed poet, literary critic, and playwright John Dryden was the first to hold this honor.

Rest on your laurels origin

Every language has its share of idioms and English is certainly no exception. Surprisingly, some of these phrases actually make logical sense when you look into their origins. You lull yourself into a state of complacency, pleased with what you have achieved in the past. To find the origin of this idiom, we must venture all the way back to Ancient Greece. You may have used bay leaves in your cooking. In Ancient Greece, laurel leaves were used to make laurel wreaths, which played heavily into the mythology and culture of the Greek people. In the image above, you can see Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory, holding a laurel wreath in her hand. As such, these wreaths came to be associated with winning and accomplishment. The symbolism of laurels and the laurel wreath can also be found in the context of the poet laureate. According to Greek mythology, Apollo fell in love with a nymph named Daphne.

Anger is part of the mourning process. Hindi English to Hindi.

Log In. My Account. In ancient Greece, the laurel was a plant that was sacred to the god Apollo. Laurel wreaths were awarded to the winning athletes in the Pythian games, held in honor of the god Apollo every four years. Later, laurel wreaths were awarded to signify other victories and honors, in Greece and Rome. The Belfast Telegraph.

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Rest on your laurels origin

Add to word list Add to word list. Just because you've got your degree doesn't mean you can rest on your laurels. Satisfied and complacent. The company can't just sit back and rest on its laurels — we have to move on to something new. Translations of rest on your laurels in Chinese Traditional. See more. Need a translator? Translator tool. Browse rest easy idiom. Read More.

Otel 1887

Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Pho is an independent scholar, playwright, and Hugo-Award-nominated editor, currently working at Erewhon Books as Executive Editor. You know where this story is going. USA Subscription offer! Choose your language. More like this. English synonyms. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. English collocations. In ancient Greek tradition, these crowns were gifted to athletic champions and seen as symbols of status and victory. Beyond a Night at the Apollo In this way, if you rest on your laurels, it means that you have achieved some victory in the past and you were metaphorically awarded a laurel wreath. Dictionary Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English.

To be satisfied with one's past success and to consider further effort unnecessary. The laurels that are being referred to when someone is said to 'rest on his laurels' are the aromatically scented Laurus Nobilis trees or, more specifically, their leaves. The trees are known colloquially as Sweet Bay and are commonly grown as culinary or ornamental plants.

Image credit: Carole Raddato. The Romans borrowed a lot from the Greeks. English Usage. Learn how your comment data is processed. Browse alphabetically to rest on your laurels. Video pronunciations. Log In. The symbolism of laurels and the laurel wreath can also be found in the context of the poet laureate. You know where this story is going. To victory! Besides their culinary or ornamental uses, the idea of a crown of laurels stems from the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo, ruler of the sun and god of music. English—French French—English. German English to German. Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Every language has its share of idioms and English is certainly no exception.