Which of these words or phrases did William Shakespeare coin?

• Puppy dog
• Breaking the ice
• Besmirch
• Hob-nob

That’s a trick question—he is credited with inventing all of them.

The bard, whose 448th birthday was this week, invented more than 2,000 words and phrases. Among them:

• Eyeball
• Puppy dog
• Anchovy
• Dauntless
• Besmirch
• Lackluster
• Alligator
• Hob-nob
• “Flesh and blood”
• “House and home”
• “Good riddance”
• “Green-eyed monster”
• “Breaking the ice”
• “Dead as a doornail”
• “Money’s worth”
• “Short shrift”

Of course, someone may have said “alligator” or “dead as a doornail” before Shakespeare, but dictionaries give him the credit.

This video, created by The Open University, explains more (in about one minute):



(via Holy Kaw)