Rest on your laurels origin

Having won a campaign, a Roman general could spend the rest of their careers savouring their past successes, basking in the memories of former glories.

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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.

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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.

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. The term 'resting on your laurels' is a type of figurative saying that can be used to mean that someone is relaxing on their efforts after they are sure their work has paid off, usually too soon. If someone is 'resting on their laurels' then it means that they have become lazy or too relaxed in their efforts after some hard work. Someone can use the term 'resting on your laurels' as a veiled insult that tells someone it's time to stop being lazy or get a move on with the activity in question. The expression is either used as 'resting on your laurels' or said as 'to rest on your laurels'.

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!

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Accept Read More. Listen to the latest episodes now. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Read more. Video Build your vocabulary. Word Lists. 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. All rights reserved. Email address Sign Up. The Romans borrowed a lot from the Greeks. Strong winds blue away most of the dust.

To be satisfied with what you have achieved in the past and stop making an effort to achieve anything else.

Grammar English Easy Learning Grammar. He is now married with too children. Choose a dictionary. The negative connotation, and the saying, only came about millennia after the decline of the Ancient Greek and Roman empires. Highly-accomplished people are often praised for their deeds. Non-necessary Non-necessary. To victory! Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest. Read about the team of authors behind Collins Dictionaries. USA Subscription offer! Definition of to rest on your laurels from the Collins English Dictionary. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. It just so happened that Daphne turned into a laurel tree when Apollo chose to approach her. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.