{"id":10601,"date":"2022-11-16T22:16:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10601"},"modified":"2022-11-16T22:16:38","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:16:38","slug":"kiss-me-hardy-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/kiss-me-hardy-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Kiss Me, Hardy \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did someone reference the phrase \u201ckiss me, Hardy\u201d? You may wonder what it means and assume it to be an idiom. \u201cKiss me, Hardy\u201d is, in fact, a famous phrase the famous Admiral Nelson reportedly uttered on his deathbed.<\/p>\n

This post explores the circumstances behind the words.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

\u201cKiss me, Hardy<\/strong>\u201d is neither an idiom nor a popular phrase. It is, instead, a quote.<\/p>\n

Celebrated British naval hero Admiral Horatio Nelson was reported to have said these words just before he died during the famous battle of Trafalgar<\/u> aboard the HMS Victory<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Hardy in question is Sir Thomas Hardy<\/strong>, a naval officer who served as Nelson\u2019s flag captain and Nelson\u2019s close friend.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

Since \u201ckiss me, Hardy\u201d is a quote rather than an idiom, there isn\u2019t much opportunity to put this phrase into action. You may say:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u201cAdmiral Nelson famously said \u2018Kiss me, Hardy<\/strong>\u2019 before dying.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cI\u2019ve been nerding out about British naval history. I swear I\u2019ll say \u2018Kiss me, Hardy<\/strong>\u2019 before I die when I play a first-person shooter game next.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cPeople have been so confused by Admiral Nelson\u2019s parting words that they claim he was probably speaking Turkish when he said, \u2018Kiss me, Hardy<\/strong>.\u2019 Is it so strange to want a parting kiss before setting off to the afterlife?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Origin<\/h2>\n

    Horatio Nelson,<\/strong> who had the titles First Viscount Nelson and First Duke of Bronte, lived from 1758 to 1905<\/strong>. He is more commonly known simply as Admiral Nelson.<\/p>\n

    Admiral Nelson remains the most celebrated British naval officer <\/strong>to this day. His strategic decisions and bravery led to unparalleled victories during the Napoleonic and French Revolutionary wars.<\/p>\n

    Admiral Nelson died as he lived \u2014 in battle. A French Sniper shot him aboard the flagship HMS Victory <\/em>during the battle that later became known as the Battle of Trafalgar. The British navy fought joint Spanish and French forces in this battle and won, but certainly not without casualties.<\/p>\n

    Admiral Nelson spoke to his friend and flag captain Thomas Hardy<\/strong> as he was dying, an event several people, including the ship\u2019s doctor, witnessed first-hand.<\/p>\n

    The Admiral\u2019s last words included a request not to throw him overboard and a plea for Hardy to take care of his lover, Lady Hamilton.<\/p>\n

    Admiral Nelson then reportedly said, \u201cKiss me, Hardy,\u201d after which Captain Hardy is said to have kissed him on the cheek or forehead. <\/u><\/p>\n

    These words were not Admiral Nelson\u2019s last. After the kiss, Nelson is said to have repeated the phrase, \u201cThank God I have done my duty<\/strong>.\u201d This may have referred to Britain\u2019s impending victory in the Battle of Trafalgar or Nelson\u2019s service to his country in general.<\/p>\n

    The phrase has inspired controversy through the ages. Believing the request to be strange, some have said that Admiral Nelson said \u201cKismet<\/strong>, Hardy\u201d instead. \u201cKismet\u201d is a Turkish word that means \u201cfate,\u201d but the loanword didn\u2019t reach the English language until decades after Nelson\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

    Phrases Similar to Kiss Me, Hardy<\/h2>\n

    Other famous last words include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \u201cEither that wallpaper goes, or I do.\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde.<\/li>\n
    • \"The taste of death is upon my lips. I feel something that is not of this earth.\"<\/strong> \u2014 Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart<\/li>\n
    • \"It is well, I die hard, but I am not afraid to go.\"<\/strong> \u2014 US President George Washington<\/li>\n
    • \u201cOh, wow.\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Apple CEO Steve Jobs<\/li>\n
    • \u201cI hope I haven\u2019t bored you.\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Rock star Elvis Presley<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What Is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n

      The correct phrase is \u201cKiss me, Hardy<\/strong>.\u201d However, Admiral Nelson\u2019s last words were \u201cThank God I have done my duty<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Ways People May Say Kiss Me, Hardy Incorrectly<\/h2>\n

      It is not difficult to find people who argue that Admiral Nelson said \u201cKismet, Hardy<\/strong>\u201d instead of \u201cKiss me, Hardy.\u201d There is no evidence for this. Eyewitnesses also saw Hardy kissing Admiral Nelson, reportedly on the forehead or cheek.<\/p>\n

      Acceptable Ways to Phrase Kiss Me, Hardy<\/h2>\n

      You can utter the phrase \u201cKiss me, Hardy\u201d to discuss Admiral Nelson\u2019s famous dying words. You could even use the phrase to joke about your impending death, perhaps if you experience a scary moment while paddle boarding or playing a video game with naval fighting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Did someone reference the phrase \u201ckiss me, Hardy\u201d? You may wonder what it means and assume it to be an idiom. \u201cKiss me, Hardy\u201d is, in fact, a famous phrase the famous Admiral Nelson reportedly uttered on his deathbed. This post explores the circumstances behind the words. Meaning \u201cKiss me, Hardy\u201d is neither an idiom […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10601"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10601"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10602,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10601\/revisions\/10602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}