Definition of: "easier said than done" with explanation and origin
Definition of: easier said than done with explanation and origin? Meaning of easier said than done with examples in English idiom dictionary.
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Definition of: "easier said than done" with explanation and origin
easier said than done
easier said than done
Meaning
- to explain that a task is easier to talk about than perform.
- to state that it is easier to talk about perfection than achieve it.
- to state that changing a person’s mind is not simple.
- something that appears easy but is difficult to do.
Examples in Sentences
- It’s easier said than done when it comes to convincing people that something is true.
- It was easier said than done to lug those buckets up three flights of stairs.
- Getting a cat to obey commands is easier said than done.
- You can bet that getting people to listen to an opposing viewpoint is easier said than done.
- The doctor said that because of your addiction, it would be easier said than done, but you must stop smoking and drinking.
Origin
The etymology of many idioms is easy enough to figure out when one thinks of their overall meaning. The origin of “easier said than done” is simple, as it appeared in print for the first time in 1483. It was written as, “It is easyer to saye than do.” Regardless of the different spellings, the meaning is quite easy to pick out, and it doesn’t require much thought to figure out how to use this phrase efficiently. The origin of this particular proverb is practical in nature, as it is one of the many explanatory phrases present in the English language that are straightforward and to the point.
The Origins of easier said than done
Easy, Hard, Speech, Task, WorkEnglish
Related Dictionary
- English Definition & Meaning Dictionary
- English Idioms and phrases Dictionary
- Dictionnaire Français
- Dictionnaire d'expressions idiomatiques et de phrases en français
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English Idioms and phrases
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below). By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.[3] For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.
To evoke the desired effect in the listener, idioms require a precise replication of the phrase: not even articles can be used interchangeably (e.g. "kick a bucket" only retains the literal meaning of the phrase but not the idiomatic meaning).
Idioms should not be confused with other figures of speech such as metaphors, which evoke an image by use of implicit comparisons (e.g., "the man of steel"); similes, which evoke an image by use of explicit comparisons (e.g., "faster than a speeding bullet"); or hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness (e.g., "more powerful than a locomotive"). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience.
