the world is someone's oyster
/ðə ˈwɜɹld‿ɪz ˌsʌmwʌnz ˈɔɪstəɹ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.47 in modern English
36
Scrabble Score
24
Letters
5
Syllables
13
Unique Chars
Meaning
proverb
All opportunities are open to someone; the world is theirs.
Example Sentences
- "Fal[staff]. I vvill not lend thee a penny. / Piſt[ol]. VVhy then the vvorld's mine Oyſter, vvhich I, vvith ſvvord vvill open."
- "But his wants were not at first great; and though his ambition was perhaps high, it was not of an impatient nature. The world was his oyster; but, circumstanced as he was, he knew it was not for him to open it with his lancet all at once."
- "Irregular gentlemen, to whom the world's their oyster,—said oyster does suddenly snap-to on them, by a chance."
- "The world may be your oyster, but that doesn't mean you've found the pearl."
Etymology
From the version of the play The Merry Wives of Windsor published in the First Folio (1623) of the works of the English playwright William Shakespeare (baptized 1564; died 1616): see the quotation. The original context was that Ancient Pistol would use force to obtain a loan from Sir John Falstaff, like prising open an oyster with a sword to obtain a pearl.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ðə ˈwɜɹld‿ɪz ˌsʌmwʌnz ˈɔɪstəɹ/
- British English: /ðə ˈwɜːld‿ɪz ˌsʌmwʌnz ˈɔɪstə/