Salad days
Encyclopedia
"Salad days" is an idiom
atic expression, referring to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion that one associates with a young person. More modern use, especially in the United States
, refers to a person's heyday when somebody was at the peak of his/her abilities—not necessarily in that person's youth.
in 1606. In the speech at the end of Act One in which Cleopatra
is regretting her youthful dalliances with Julius Caesar
she says:
The phrase became popular only from the middle of the 19th century, coming to mean “a period of youthful inexperience or indiscretion." The metaphor comes from Cleopatra's use of the word 'green' — presumably meaning someone youthful, inexperienced, or immature. Her references to "green in judgment" and "cold in blood" both suggest qualities of salads.
Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage summarizes several other possible meanings of the metaphor:
In the 1987 Joel and Ethan Coen film Raising Arizona
, Nicolas Cage as H.I. “Hi” McDunnough uses the expression twice in the first few minutes of the film. Speaking as the background voice-over rather than as a character, he first says, “These were the happy days, the salad days as they say, and Ed felt that having a critter was the next logical step. It was all she thought about.” A few moments later, again as the voice-over, he says, “Our love for each other was stronger than ever, but I preminisced [sic] no return of the salad days.”
The phrase is used in the Spandau Ballet
song Gold
.
"These are my salad days, slowly being eaten away"
In 1985, Washington, DC hardcore punk band Minor Threat released the song "Salad Days" reflecting on days of spirited youth in contrast to a time of adult disillusionment.
Episode 33 of the television series Monty Python's Flying Circus
is called Salad Days.
The phrase has been used as the title of several books, including the novels Salad Days by Francoise Sagan
and by Charles Romalotti
, the autobiography The Salad Days by Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and numerous cookbooks.
The phrase is also used in the track "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" from Patrick Stump
's Truant Wave
EP.
"Oh nostalgia I don't need you anymore. 'Cause the salad days are over and the meat is at my door."
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
atic expression, referring to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion that one associates with a young person. More modern use, especially in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, refers to a person's heyday when somebody was at the peak of his/her abilities—not necessarily in that person's youth.
History
The phrase was coined in Shakespeare's Antony and CleopatraAntony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
in 1606. In the speech at the end of Act One in which Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII of Egypt
Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.She was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Greek origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death during the Hellenistic period...
is regretting her youthful dalliances with Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
she says:
- "...My salad days, / When I was green in judgment, cold in blood..."
The phrase became popular only from the middle of the 19th century, coming to mean “a period of youthful inexperience or indiscretion." The metaphor comes from Cleopatra's use of the word 'green' — presumably meaning someone youthful, inexperienced, or immature. Her references to "green in judgment" and "cold in blood" both suggest qualities of salads.
Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage summarizes several other possible meanings of the metaphor:
-
- Whether the point is that youth, like salad, is raw, or that salad is highly flavoured and youth loves high flavours, or that innocent herbs are youth's food as milk is babes' and meat is men's, few of those who use the phrase could perhaps tell us; if so, it is fitter for parrots' than for human speech.
Usage
"Aboard one Zodiac, Frank Hewetson, a 20-year Greenpeace veteran who in his salad days as a protester scaled the first BP deepwater oil rigs off Scotland, tried to direct his pilot toward the net so that he could throw a daisy chain of sandbags over its floating edge and allow the bluefin to escape."In the 1987 Joel and Ethan Coen film Raising Arizona
Raising Arizona
Raising Arizona is a 1987 comedy film directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, William Forsythe, John Goodman, Frances McDormand and Randall "Tex" Cobb. Not a blockbuster at the time of its release, it has since achieved cult status...
, Nicolas Cage as H.I. “Hi” McDunnough uses the expression twice in the first few minutes of the film. Speaking as the background voice-over rather than as a character, he first says, “These were the happy days, the salad days as they say, and Ed felt that having a critter was the next logical step. It was all she thought about.” A few moments later, again as the voice-over, he says, “Our love for each other was stronger than ever, but I preminisced [sic] no return of the salad days.”
The phrase is used in the Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...
song Gold
Gold (Spandau Ballet song)
"Gold" is a 1983 single by the British new wave band Spandau Ballet from their flagship third album True.The song is Spandau Ballet's 2nd best-charting single behind their previous release "True", reaching #2 on the UK Singles Chart , and #29 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100 chart...
.
"These are my salad days, slowly being eaten away"
In 1985, Washington, DC hardcore punk band Minor Threat released the song "Salad Days" reflecting on days of spirited youth in contrast to a time of adult disillusionment.
Episode 33 of the television series Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
is called Salad Days.
The phrase has been used as the title of several books, including the novels Salad Days by Francoise Sagan
Françoise Sagan
Françoise Sagan – real name Françoise Quoirez – was a French playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. Hailed as "a charming little monster" by François Mauriac on the front page of Le Figaro, Sagan was known for works with strong romantic themes involving wealthy and disillusioned bourgeois...
and by Charles Romalotti
Charles Romalotti
Charles Romalotti is an American author of punk fiction. Born on February 10, 1970 in Topeka, Kansas, he is the author of two novels, Salad Days and Pariah, both released by Layman Books. He currently resides in Austin, Texas.-Salad Days:...
, the autobiography The Salad Days by Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and numerous cookbooks.
The phrase is also used in the track "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" from Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump
Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
's Truant Wave
Truant Wave
Truant Wave is the debut studio EP by American singer and songwriter Patrick Stump, member of Fall Out Boy. It was first released as a digital download exclusive to iTunes, on February 22, 2011 through Nervous Breakdance Media, Stump's own record label, before becoming available from all online...
EP.
"Oh nostalgia I don't need you anymore. 'Cause the salad days are over and the meat is at my door."