IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishit's not the end of the world
Meaning: Said to make a setback seem less serious: it's bad, but not a catastrophe.
Example: “So you failed the driving test. It's not the end of the world; you can take it again next month.”
Origin: A deliberate understatement measured against the worst thing imaginable, the end of the world, which in Christian teaching is the Last Judgment. Saying that a disappointment is not that is a way of putting it back in proportion. The phrase is common in 20th-century English; no first use is documented.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Ce n'est pas la mort du petit cheval Literally: It's not the death of the little horse
More English idioms
- The last straw that broke the camel's back The final small burden that causes a total collapse.
- To have a frog in your throat To have difficulty speaking due to hoarseness.
- It's raining cats and dogs It's raining extremely heavily.
- To have butterflies in your stomach To feel nervous excitement.
- Bob's your uncle And there you have it; simple as that.
- take the biscuit to be the most outrageous or remarkable thing; to win or excel.
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