Rest on your laurels origin

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.

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.

Rest on your laurels origin

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. The Huffington Post. We cannot forget that equal rights should apply to more than just marriage; we cannot rest on our laurels when some in our society are still condemned to live in the shadows. The New Indian Express. Now, despite the years flying past, John McLaughlin looks about two decades younger than 73, and he remains one of those commendable artists who continues to search rather than resting on laurels. The Sydney MOrning Herald. Grammarist is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. When you buy via the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. All rights reserved. Skip to content Twitter Facebook YouTube.

Though he was rejected, Apollo decided to don a crown of laurel leaves in her honor. While you may not be literally sleeping on a bed of laurel leaves, you will have become lazy, tired, complacent and unmotivated.

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.

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. That is the plant that laurel wreaths are made from. The origins of the phrase lie in ancient Greece, where laurel wreaths were symbols of victory and status. Of course, ancient Greece is where history and mythology were frequently mixed, so we need to tread carefully. The pre-Christian Greeks associated their god Apollo with laurel - that much is historical fact, as this image of Apollo wearing a laurel wreath on a 2nd century BC coin indicates. The reason for that association takes us into the myth of Apollo's love for the nymph Daphne, who turned into a Bay tree just as Apollo approached her anything could happen if you were a Greek god.

Rest on your laurels origin

It was during this time wreaths made up of the laurel leaves were worn as symbol of victory and status. If a laurel is a single accomplishment, then laurels would be many accomplishments. Resting on a single laurel means we are content with one accomplishment for the duration of our lives. To many, this would be our education and then our day job. If we lose our jobs, we lose our income. That brings us to the other purpose of this site; to help you obtain multiple streams of income. These are clovers not laurels, but the do look quite nice to rest on as well! What can this site provide? We would like to be a resource to help you in taking your first steps towards financial independence. Providing tips to help you save and be more financially savvy with your money.

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Email to a friend. Shaun has worked across a wide range of industries including financial services, automotive, hospitality, utilities, retailers, UK local government and the NHS. The government can't rest on its laurels and must press ahead with major policy changes. Simplified to English. You want to continue learning, growing and improving… including your language and grammar skills. Surprisingly, some of these phrases actually make logical sense when you look into their origins. Previous Happy Turkey Day, America. German grammar. Pho is an independent scholar, playwright, and Hugo-Award-nominated editor, currently working at Erewhon Books as Executive Editor. The negative connotation, and the saying, only came about millennia after the decline of the Ancient Greek and Roman empires. German English to German. Add to word list Add to word list. I'm also an engaged work-at-home dad, a voracious foodie, an avid traveler, and a thinker who thinks he might be thinking too much. Choose a dictionary.

Would you like to let someone know that it's time to put in some real effort, or tell someone that they have been too relaxed in their efforts and have been slacking off? The term 'resting on your laurels' is a saying that can be used to relate this to someone. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.

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