Chels

It’s April, we’re officially in British Summertime, and the weather has been nice for a few days in a row, so I think it’s safe to say that spring has sprung. To celebrate, I want to explore the origins of some of our idioms, particularly the nature-themed ones.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Let’s start with the one that piqued my curiosity in the first place. Obviously, the literal meaning is that the rain in April prompts the growth of the flowers that bloom in May, and for me, I always heard it as a reassurance by my mum when the weather was rubbish in April – kind of like, it’s okay, May will be nicer. 

There are two poems that have been identified as the origin of the saying – the earlier, more loosely, and the later more directly.

Chaucer’s prologue to The Canterbury Tales reads

There is no mention of May in the poem, but it’s clear that the implication is that the rain of April makes the flowers grow.

Thomas Tusser’s poem is the origin of the specific phrasing, and reads

Sweet April showers Do spring May flowers

The less literal meaning of the idiom is that good things can follow a period of hardship. From what I can see, this meaning is more common outside of the UK, which makes sense, because other countries don’t have the same weather patterns as us, so literal April showers aren’t as relevant. I like this one, it feels very fitting for spring, when we come out of the short days and long nights and the cold weather, and we get to enjoy some time outside in the fresh air. Everything feels a little bit better.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

This idiom’s earliest confirmed appearance is from the 1670s in John Ray’s A Compleat Collection of English Proverbs, reading ‘the early bird catcheth the worm.’ However, since it’s in a proverb collection, it was likely used for a while before this, probably in spoken English.

There’s a second part to this one, which was added over 300 years later. No one really knows the true origin – it’s been attributed to a few people, but all we know for certain is that it gained popularity online in the 90s.

The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese’

It’s unusual for something like this to happen – often longer proverbs and idioms are shortened over time, but in this case, a second clause was added to give a second meaning. 

While it’s often beneficial to be the first, sometimes, that comes with risks, and we can learn from others’ mistakes.

Turn Over a New Leaf

This idiom came from the 16th century, although the exact source isn’t known. Much like the early bird gets the worm, it’s likely that its origin is in spoken English rather than written English.

The phrase comes from books – back then, the page of a book was called a leaf (we can see this today with phrases like ‘overleaf’) and to turn over a new leaf was to start a new page in a book.

That’s the literal meaning, and the figurative meaning makes a lot of sense. A new page in a diary or journal is a blank slate, and is a fresh start. Turning the page represents an opportunity to start again, no matter what came before.

While this idiom technically isn’t nature themed, until you know the origin, it seems that way.