IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishnothing to write home about
Meaning: Ordinary; so-so; not especially good or important.
Example: “The hotel was clean but nothing to write home about.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard Literally: It doesn't break three legs of a duck
German: Das ist nicht das Gelbe vom Ei Literally: That's not the yellow of the egg
Dutch: niet veel soeps Literally: Not much soup- French: Ce n'est pas le Pérou Literally: It's not Peru
Origin: From soldiers' letters home in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where only notable events were worth mentioning. The phrase for something unremarkable is recorded from the 1900s and became common during the First World War.
More English idioms
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- off the beaten path Off the road or way that is most often chosen by other people.
- off the cuff Without much advance preparation; spontaneously.
- off the wall Unusual; peculiar.
- old-boy network The male connections that a man acquires, usually while in college or the military, later…
- old fuddy-duddy A person who is old-fashioned and not open to new technology or ideas.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said the butter's bitter. A 'b / t / tt' plosive drill that bounces between Betty, butter, and bitter.
- She sells seashells by the seashore. The definitive 's' versus 'sh' alternation — the tongue has to switch place of articulati…
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