From Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, 1596. PORTIA: The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown; His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
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The quality of mercy is not strained
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The phrase "A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse" was the title of an album by the British group Faces in 1971. This group is most known for its member Rod Stewart.
My folks used "collary wobbles" to mean stomach upset, as in, e.g., "If you eat all that fresh fruit (several apples, pears, oranges, etc.), you get the collary wobbles." I am 89…
In the USA, I once heard a slang noun obviously derived from "harum-scarum": "hurmer-skurmer", meaning a reckless man.
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Phrases.org.uk has been documenting the meaning and origin of phrases, sayings and idioms since 1997. Every entry is researched and written by Gary Martin, with citations to the earliest printed use we can find.
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