Have you seen the phrase 'a plague on both your houses' somewhere in a text or on the internet and would like to know more about the meaning or implication of the saying? The phrase is a common figurative saying in English. This post unpacks the meaning, origin and common use of the saying.
Meaning
The phrase 'a plague on both your houses' is a common figurative saying in the English language.
If someone says that something is 'a plague on both your houses' to someone else, the phrase means that the speaker wants to have nothing to do with the issue that has been raised or is being discussed.
The phrase 'a plague on both your houses' is the equivalent of someone saying that something is not going to be their problem, or that they want nothing to do with the issue.
The issue that is meant as 'a plague' is usually the issue that has been discussed, or that is being implied.
Use of the phrase in the negative form is not common.
Example Usage
“If you want to have an affair with someone, that's great, but you don't drag me into it and ask for my advice. Let this whole thing just continue to be a plague on both your houses.”
“You like pineapple on your pizza and she doesn't. Let the issue be a plague on both your houses, I'm not here to have your food fights for you.”
“Okay, so you like her and she likes him. That's a plague on both your houses, and I want nothing to do with any feelings that might get hurt in the process.”
“It's going to be a plague on both your houses if you go down there and someone gets stabbed. I want nothing to do with it, and i'm not paying for the gas or the potential medical bills that you might face tomorrow.”
Origin
The origin of the common figurative saying 'a plague on both your houses' is agreed to be a phrase that was adapted from the William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet.
The play Romeo and Juliet was first published in the year 1592, and the advent of the printing press meant that Shakespeare would become popular in the English speaking world – especially after his death.
As the works of Shakespeare were further adapted into movies, use of the phrase would become especially popular in the 90s and 2000s.
Several phrases would become popular as phrases after their use in Romeo and Juliet, including the phrase 'Romeo Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo'.
Use of the saying would continue well into modern times, with the phrase making the occasional appearance in modern media and on social media channels.
Phrases Similar to A Plague on Both Your Houses
- Your kettle of fish
- Your problem
Phrases Opposite to A Plague on Both Your Houses
- In this together
What is the Correct Saying?
- [It is] a plague on both your houses
- A plague on both your houses
Ways People May Say A Plague on Both Your Houses Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'a plague on both your houses' in the wrong way.
The phrase does not have to reference a group of people, but can reference an issue that involves several people.
Using the denial form of the phrase would render an incorrect and meaningless saying, instead of to give it the opposite meaning.
The phrase does not always translate well into other languages which do not have an equivalent phrase.