Origin of “the grass is always greener”
Earlier versions of this well-known proverb, according to “writingexplained.org”, include:
A Latin proverb cited by Erasmus of Rotterdam was translated into English by Richard Taverner in 1545, as:
- “The corne in an other mans ground semeth euer more fertyll and plentifull then doth oure own.” (The corn in another man’s ground seems ever more fertile and plentiful than our own does.)
The poet Ovid takes this further, saying in his “Art of Love” (1 BC) that
- “the harvest is always richer in another man’s field.”
But, apparently, as far as the current English version is concerned:
this idiom has been popular since at least the early 1900’s, evidenced by the fact that a song recorded in 1924 by Raymond B. Egan and Richard A. Whiting carried its wording, “The Grass is Always Greener in the Other Fellow’s Yard.”
One often suggested origin of the current version is:
It is speculated that the expression came from the habit of cattle of grazing through the fence on the grass of the adjacent field, or escaping from one pasture to another through a broken fence line, in search of new grass to eat.(www.idioms.online)
and curiously the sama pro era, with almost the same wording, exits also in other languages such as French, Italian, and even in Japanese.
Questions:
Where does the English proverb comes from? Did it originate in England or was it “imported” from a foreign language?
When do the first English usage instances date back to?
etymology proverbs phrase-origin
asked 52 mins ago
user240918
24.9k1068149
add a comment |
Earlier versions of this well-known proverb, according to “writingexplained.org”, include:
A Latin proverb cited by Erasmus of Rotterdam was translated into English by Richard Taverner in 1545, as:
- “The corne in an other mans ground semeth euer more fertyll and plentifull then doth oure own.” (The corn in another man’s ground seems ever more fertile and plentiful than our own does.)
The poet Ovid takes this further, saying in his “Art of Love” (1 BC) that
- “the harvest is always richer in another man’s field.”
But, apparently, as far as the current English version is concerned:
this idiom has been popular since at least the early 1900’s, evidenced by the fact that a song recorded in 1924 by Raymond B. Egan and Richard A. Whiting carried its wording, “The Grass is Always Greener in the Other Fellow’s Yard.”
One often suggested origin of the current version is:
It is speculated that the expression came from the habit of cattle of grazing through the fence on the grass of the adjacent field, or escaping from one pasture to another through a broken fence line, in search of new grass to eat.(www.idioms.online)
and curiously the sama pro era, with almost the same wording, exits also in other languages such as French, Italian, and even in Japanese.
Questions:
Where does the English proverb comes from? Did it originate in England or was it “imported” from a foreign language?
When do the first English usage instances date back to?
etymology proverbs phrase-origin
asked 52 mins ago
user240918
24.9k1068149
add a comment |
Earlier versions of this well-known proverb, according to “writingexplained.org”, include:
A Latin proverb cited by Erasmus of Rotterdam was translated into English by Richard Taverner in 1545, as:
- “The corne in an other mans ground semeth euer more fertyll and plentifull then doth oure own.” (The corn in another man’s ground seems ever more fertile and plentiful than our own does.)
The poet Ovid takes this further, saying in his “Art of Love” (1 BC) that
- “the harvest is always richer in another man’s field.”
But, apparently, as far as the current English version is concerned:
this idiom has been popular since at least the early 1900’s, evidenced by the fact that a song recorded in 1924 by Raymond B. Egan and Richard A. Whiting carried its wording, “The Grass is Always Greener in the Other Fellow’s Yard.”
One often suggested origin of the current version is:
It is speculated that the expression came from the habit of cattle of grazing through the fence on the grass of the adjacent field, or escaping from one pasture to another through a broken fence line, in search of new grass to eat.(www.idioms.online)
and curiously the sama pro era, with almost the same wording, exits also in other languages such as French, Italian, and even in Japanese.
Questions:
Where does the English proverb comes from? Did it originate in England or was it “imported” from a foreign language?
When do the first English usage instances date back to?
etymology proverbs phrase-origin
asked 52 mins ago
user240918
24.9k1068149
Earlier versions of this well-known proverb, according to “writingexplained.org”, include:
A Latin proverb cited by Erasmus of Rotterdam was translated into English by Richard Taverner in 1545, as:
- “The corne in an other mans ground semeth euer more fertyll and plentifull then doth oure own.” (The corn in another man’s ground seems ever more fertile and plentiful than our own does.)
The poet Ovid takes this further, saying in his “Art of Love” (1 BC) that
- “the harvest is always richer in another man’s field.”
But, apparently, as far as the current English version is concerned:
this idiom has been popular since at least the early 1900’s, evidenced by the fact that a song recorded in 1924 by Raymond B. Egan and Richard A. Whiting carried its wording, “The Grass is Always Greener in the Other Fellow’s Yard.”
One often suggested origin of the current version is:
It is speculated that the expression came from the habit of cattle of grazing through the fence on the grass of the adjacent field, or escaping from one pasture to another through a broken fence line, in search of new grass to eat.(www.idioms.online)
and curiously the sama pro era, with almost the same wording, exits also in other languages such as French, Italian, and even in Japanese.
Questions:
Where does the English proverb comes from? Did it originate in England or was it “imported” from a foreign language?
When do the first English usage instances date back to?
etymology proverbs phrase-origin
etymology proverbs phrase-origin
asked 52 mins ago
user240918
24.9k1068149
asked 52 mins ago
user240918
24.9k1068149
asked 52 mins ago
user240918
24.9k1068149
asked 52 mins ago
user240918
24.9k1068149
asked 52 mins ago
user240918
24.9k1068149
24.9k1068149
add a comment |
add a comment |
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