I Only Have Eyes For You

Meaning:
to be interested in or attracted to only one person

Origin:
“I Only Have Eyes For You” is the name of a song that was made popular in the spring and summer of 1959 by a group called the Flamingos. The song was actually written for a film in the 1930s, and it had a popular run at the music charts at that time.

The way the song was NEVER meant to be sung:


Sources:
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/only+have+eyes+for
http://www.pophistorydig.com/?tag=the-flamingos%E2%80%99-%E2%80%9Ci-only-have-eyes-for-you%E2%80%9D

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

Meaning:
A child grows up to be very similar to its parents in the way they act and in their physical abilities.

This picture is titled "The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree".
It's a little freaky, don't you think?

Origin:
One site says this phrase came from Sir Isaac Newton. I think this might be a joke.
The earliest German citation of the phrase stems from 1582 when it is quoted by Johann Fischart in his novel Geschichtsklitterung precisely as "Der Apffel fellt nicht weit vom Baum". By 1585 the proverb appears in Michael Neander's important German proverb collection Ethice vetus et sapiens as "Der Apffel fellt nicht gerne weit vom Baume". And by 1598 the German chapbook entitled Das Lalebuch (Die Schildbºrger) includes the common variant "Der Apffel felt nicht weit vom Stammen", where the "Baum" (tree) has been replaced by "Stamm(en)" (stem). The German proverb is thus well established by the end of the 16th century, and it appears with considerable frequency in later collections and literary works of the German language right up to the present day.





Sources:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/the_apple_doesn%27t_fall_far_from_the_tree
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_exactly_does_the_quote_the_apple_doesn%27t_fall_far_from_the_tree_come_from
http://www.deproverbio.com/display.php?a=3&r=6

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Meaning:
A showy article may not necessarily be valuable.
Not everything is what it seems.

Origin:
The original form of this phrase was 'all that glisters is not gold'. The 'glitters' version of the phrase long ago superseded the original and is now almost universally used.
Shakespeare is the best-known writer to have expressed this idea. The original Shakespeare editions of The Merchant of Venice, 1596, have the line as 'all that glisters is not gold'. 'Glister' is usually replaced by 'glitter' in renditions of the play:

MOROCCO:
All that glitters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been inscroll'd:
Fare you well; your suit is cold.

The Bard was by no means the first to suggest that 'all that glitters/glisters is not gold'. The 12th century French theologian Alain de Lille wrote "Do not hold everything gold that shines like gold". In 1553, we have Thomas Becon, in The relikes of Rome:

"All is not golde that glistereth."

George Turberville, in Tragical tales, (and other poems), 1587, wrote that

"All is not gold that glistringly appeere."

The 'glitters' version of this phrase is so long established as to be perfectly acceptable - especially as 'glisters' and 'glitters' mean the same thing and are essentially synonymous. Only the most pedantic insist that 'all that glisters is not gold' is correct and that 'all that glitters is not gold', being a misquotation, however cobweb-laden, should be shunned. John Dryden was quite happy to use 'glitters' as long ago as 1687, in his poem, The Hind and the Panther:

For you may palm upon us new for old:
All, as they say, that glitters, is not gold.

Sources:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/28450.html

Pride Goeth Before a Fall

Meaning:
The actual Bible verse (King James version) is "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." It means that the next step after being all puffed up with arrogance could be falling flat on your face. Well, according to what I know, 'Pride comes before a fall' means that one becomes over confident and stops thinking sensibly when success goes to one's head and which is a sure indication of the fact that that person is bound to suffer or face disappointment because of the wrong decisions that he or she might make. In other words too much arrogance and self pride are sure to bring bad and disappointing results.

Origin:
The proverb comes from the Old Testament - Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
Herman Melville rendered essentially the modern version in 'The Piazza Tales' (1856).

Sources:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_%27Pride_comes_before_the_fall%27_mean
http://kingjbible.com/proverbs/16.htm
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/32/messages/1321.html

Going to the Dogs

Meaning:
Becoming ruined

Origin:
The figurative meaning must have been preceded by the literal meaning of giving food that wasn't fit for humans to dogs - anything decayed and worthless that wasn't fit for humans.
The phrase could also come from the story of Jezebel in the Bible:
1 Kgs. 21: 23 "And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The ^adogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel."

Sources:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/go-to-the-dogs.html

In The Long Run

It will pay off in the long run.

Meaning:
In the final analysis or outcome.
After a very lengthy period of time; "she will succeed in the long run"
In the long run, in the whole course of things taken together; in the ultimate result; eventually.

Sources:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/in+the+long+run
http://dictionary.die.net/in%20the%20long%20run

Moving on to Greener Pastures

Meaning:
a better or more exciting job or place
a better situation
a better or more promising situation
any place or condition that is more favorable or beneficial

Sources:
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/greener+pastures
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greener%20pastures
http://www.allwords.com/word-greener+pastures.html
Good definition resource! http://www.scribd.com/doc/18584432/English-Idioms-Book-1

By the Skin of My Teeth

Meaning:
Narrowly; barely. Usually used in regard to a narrow escape from a disaster.

Origin:
The phrase first appears in English in the Geneva Bible, 1560, in Job 19:20.
Teeth don't have skin, of course, so the writer may have been alluding to the teeth's surface or simply to a notional minute measure.
The expression could be derived from the fact that there is no skin on the teeth and so 'Escape by the skin of one's teeth' means to avoid a catastrophy by the very smallest margin.
Or it could be that Job was referring to his gums because that was the only part of his body that was not covered with painful boils.

Sources:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/83000.html
http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question18459.html

You're the bee's knees!

Meaning:
You're the best; THE COOLEST



Origin:
The exact origin of "bee's knees" remains a topic of debate, but there is wide-spread agreement that the phrase first appeared in North America during the 1920s. Some interesting theories are listed below.

1. Bees carry pollen back to the hive in sacs on their legs. The allusion is to the concentrated goodness to be found around the bee's knee. (extract from the Phrase Finder).

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2. The expression was coined in the 1920s by an American cartoonist named Tad Dorgan, who also graced the language with such corny superlatives as "the cat's pajamas" and less durable ones such as the "the flea's eyebrows" and - a real clunker - "the canary's tusks." Dorgan also came up with: "Yes, we have no bananas." I've long been puzzled why, to this day, the bee's knees expression has maintained a certain currency in Britain, something it has not had for decades in the United States. The thought occurs that perhaps, more than half a century on, it's a still lingering cultural artifact from the American occupation of the south of England in the lead-up to D-Day. (extract from the Guardian's Notes and Queries site, article by Dave Todd)

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3. It's one of a set of nonsense catchphrases that originated in North America in the 1920s, the period of the flappers, nearly all of which compared some thing of excellent quality to a part of an animal. (extract from Michael Quinon's World Wide Words).

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4. I think the idea is that on a bee, knees are strictly a luxury. The phrase originated in 1920s U.S. slang, which had a whole slue of such phrases: "the eel's ankle", "the flea's eyebrows", "the clam's garter", "the snake's hips", "the elephant's instep", "the kipper's knickers", "the cat's pyjamas", "the canary's tusks", "the sardine's whiskers". The fact that "the bee's knees" rhymes may have assisted its survival. (extract from the aue archives, article by Mark Israel)original article

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5. The bee's knees is actually a development from something that was originally stated as "The be all and the end all of everything." this being rather long, was shortened to "the B's and E's" which eventually became "the bee's knees" (extract from the Guardian's Notes and Queries site, article by "Ogins")

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6. My _Dictionary of American Slang_ says "bee's knees" was a fad started c1924. Like some Chinese menus, pick one from column A and one from column B... (extract from the aue archives, article by Robert Keller)original article

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7. ...[the] _bee's knees_ may be a humorous pronunciation of _business_. I have seen this offered as a genuine derivation and it seems as plausible as the current favourite for _OK_. (from the aue archives, article by S. Z. Hanley)original article

See also "You're the cat's meow!"

Sources:
http://www.yaelf.com/questions.shtml
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/definition+of/bee%27s+knees,+the

Two heads are better than one.

Meaning:
Some problems may be solved more easily by two people working together than by one working alone.

Sources:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/two_heads_are_better_than_one

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Meaning:
Don't put yourself in a situation where a single failure has catastrophic consequences. Spread your risk. Have a plan B. Don't pin all your hopes on one possibility.

Origin:
Eggs, for those of you completely divorced from the rural milieu that gave rise to to this metaphor, are fragile and easily broken if their container is bumped or falls.

Dare to Be Stupid - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Reasons to Keep All Your Eggs in One Basket

Sources:
http://everything2.com/title/don%2527t+put+all+your+eggs+in+one+basket

A good beginning makes a good ending.

Meaning:
Good beginnings promise a good end. Start off on a good note to reap the benefits at the end.
Planning is the key to success.





Sources:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_good_beginning_makes_a_good_ending
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/English_proverbs

Rome wasn't built in a day.

Meaning:
It takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive.

Sources:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Rome_wasn%27t_built_in_a_day

Many hands make light work.

Meaning:
More helpers make a task easier.

Origin:
This proverb was first recorded in English in the early 1300s in a knightly romance known as Sir Bevis of Hampton.

Sources:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/idioms/many-hands-make-light-work

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Meaning:
Be grateful for your good fortune and don't look for more by examining it to assess its value.

Origin:
As horses age their teeth begin to project further forward each year and so their age can be estimated by checking how prominent the teeth are.

Sources:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/117000.html