Never Judge A Book By Its Cover - meaning, origin and examples

I am pretty sure you know that there is a phrase, face is the index of mind. This means that, with the expression one shows on their face, it will be easy to guess what's in their mind. However, 'never judge a book by its cover' is a different phrase altogether. This phrase is not talking about books. If it were so, you should always judge a book by its cover. You can't expect Harry Potter's magic inside a book with a cover that says, Alice In Wonderland. So, 'never judge a book by its cover' is usually associated with people and their undisclosed talents.

Meaning:
'Never judge a book by its cover' means you should never presume one's skill or the value of something, just by how they look from the outside.

Origin:

Initially, the phrase, never judge a book by its cover, just like most other English phrases, had a literal meaning. It means, people usually buy books only by looking at the cover. Many good stories might be overlooked by them if they don't try to steal a glance at what's inside the books. In 1944, this phrase was used for the very first time in an African-American journal speech which mentioned, 'you can't judge a book by its binding'. This phrase became very popular when it was used in the famous 'murder in the glass room' book which was published in 1946. In this book, the phrase was used as "you can never tell a book by its cover'.

Examples:

1) An ideal example for this phrase would be jackfruit. This is an exotic tropical fruit that is available in abundance in Asia. The skin of the jackfruit resembles thorns (not so sharp, not amusing either). However, when it is cut open, much to your surprise, there will be yummy slices which are sure to kill the drought in any mouth with its mouth-watering taste. Taste it once, you'll know why it is called as an exotic fruit.

2) Another example for the phrase, never judge a book by its cover could be, the legendary Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar. He was just 16 years old when he made his international debut against Pakistan in Karachi. He looked so little. He just scored a mere 15 runs. The world took him so lightly as a cricketer. Everything that happened later in his career was nothing short of a spectacle. He scored 100 international centuries and people used to call him the little master, master blaster, God of cricket, etc. The person who selected Sachin Tendulkar for the Indian team surely must have known the meaning of the phrase, 'Never judge a book by its cover'.

3) Some people might not look very approachable. If you do take the initiative of talking to them, you might understand better the meaning of 'never judge a book by its cover'.

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What is the difference between affect and effect - meaning of affect and effect with examples

If you are reading this article, you probably have lost enough hair already trying to get clarity on the difference between affect and effect. More than the meaning of affect and effect, the main problem is, these words are so similar that people tend to replace 'affect' with 'effect' and vice versa. This just adds up to the confusion. For starters, without asking any questions here, blindly keep one thing in mind. Affect is a verb. Effect is a noun. Now, gently open your eyes and see the following meaning for each word.

Meaning of affect:
If you refer to Google, you will know that affect has different meanings and is also a noun. But, the verb form of affect is commonly used worldwide. So, let us just stick to the verb form.

affect (verb) - it means changing something in a negative way.

To make you never forget meaning of affect, remember this. Affect starts with A. Ability also starts with A. Hence, affect has the ability to change something. The change is always negative. When Peter Parker became a Spider-Man after a spider bit him, no one said that  Peter was affected by the spider and he became a superhero. So, 'affect' is always used to indicate a downfall or something bad.

Examples:
1) The nation-wide lockdown seems to be affecting Jonathan's health, physically and mentally.
2) In the year, 2020, the then novel Coronavirus affected the livelihoods of people all over the world.
3) Many experts fear that the latest financial bill passed by the legislative assembly might affect the people who are below the poverty line.
4) I strongly believe that humanity is about helping mankind thrive without affecting the nature which is the mother of all living creatures.

Meaning of effect:
I am sure you would have heard phrases like, side-effects of certain drugs, effects of global warming, etc. Let us take an imaginary example. You have been swimming for 5 days now. Now, you feel so fit. This is the effect, swimming had on you. The word 'effect' is not just used to denote something negative. It can also mean something positive like in the example of swimming. Let us now see the meaning of effect.

effect (noun) - the change something or someone experiences during or after a process. This change can be good or bad.

Examples:
1) Pain-killers always have a soothing effect on injuries.
2) The foul smell which came up all of a sudden in the elevator, did not have any effect on James. He showed no facial expressions.
3) Many youngsters don't realize the serious effects liquor drinking could have on their health in the future.
4) The voice of my English teacher, Rachael, always had a calming effect on my classmates during our schooldays.
5) The world needed a person like Mahatma Gandhi to show the extraordinary effects non-violence could have on any battle.

To summarize this article on 'what is the difference between affect and effect', affect is a verb and effect is a noun. Feel free to post your comments below and don't forget to follow this blog for more useful articles.

Meaning of break a leg and its origin

Before knowing the meaning of break a leg, let me tell you something very clearly. When someone tells you break a leg, it doesn't mean that they want you to break your leg and end up on a hospital bed. They actually are indirectly wishing you, Good Luck. So the meaning of break a leg is "Good Luck".

Origin of break a leg:
"Break a leg" originated in America, probably in the 1920s and this phrase was initially used in theaters (musical theaters) where actors and other artists perform on the stage. Performers tend to get nervous while performing in front of a big crowd. So, when, someone is telling them Good Luck before their performance, it actually might make them feel more nervous. That is why, people say "Break A Leg". Also, some people feel that wishing someone Good Luck might actually bring bad luck. So, it is better to use an indirect phrase if you feel that your mouth has this lovely curse.

Doesn't break a leg sound violent?
Haha! Actually in English, sometimes when phrases are taken literally, it might sound violent. It might even sound awkward. We live in a world where people often use acronyms like ROFL, LOL, LMAO, etc. All these acronyms if imagined visually, will definitely look awkward. So, get over your literal understanding of stuff.

Why break a leg is used?
Though the meaning of break a leg is good luck, there is a logic behind using this phrase. You now know that this phrase originated in theaters to wish the performers Good Luck. Break a leg is used because, it indirectly means, that the performer standing on the stage has to do their absolute best that should make their legs break. It means that the performer has to perform to the best of their potential. Imagine that you are telling a dancer, break a leg before their performance. It means that you want the dancer to dance so fiercely making wild and awesome movements with their legs.