Next time you’re breaking the ice by talking about a wild goose chase that has left you without a wink of sleep, you might be surprised to know how much you are quoting the Bard.

In fact, William Shakespeare has had a profound effect on our language and the expressions we use today. Many phrases that seem to roll off the tongue several times a day were first coined by Shakespeare in the 1500 and 1600s.

So to bring this full circle, here are some common idioms that were first recorded in his classic plays.

“Knock, knock. Who’s there?”

Macbeth

“Wear your heart on your sleeve.”

Othello

“Fight fire with fire.”

King John

“Good riddance.”

Troilus and Cressida

“Fair play.”

The Tempest

“Set your teeth on edge.”

Henry IV

“Seen better days.”

Timon of Athens

“Too much of a good thing.”

As You Like It.

“In a pickle.”

The Tempest 

Shakespeare also penned legendary insults. So as a more sophisticated alternative to calling out those who cut in the Grille line or take your favorite seat in the auditorium, take a leaf from Shakespeare, and you are sure to impress.

“You are as a candle, the better burnt out.”

Henry IV

 “Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit.”

Romeo and Juliet

 “You, minion, are too saucy.”

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

 “In civility thou seem’st so empty.”

As You Like It

 “The most infectious pestilence upon thee!”

Antony and Cleopatra

 “… breath stinks with eating toasted cheese.”

Henry IV