{"id":2811,"date":"2022-04-15T18:49:29","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T18:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=2811"},"modified":"2022-04-20T03:30:17","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T03:30:17","slug":"better-half-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/better-half-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Better Half - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to ask your friend why they didn\u2019t bring their partner to your cookout? If so, you could ask them where they left their \u201c<em>better half.\u201d<\/em> This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression \u201c<em>better half<\/em>\u201d refers to your partner or spouse. It\u2019s a way of telling someone that you value their partner as much as them and that you\u2019ll treat them with respect when you meet them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s common for people to use the phrase to refer to their wife in a heterosexual relationship. However, the saying can apply to any person in any relationship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>Better half<\/em>\u201d can also apply to animals. For instance, a senior man who keeps his dog around for company. You can refer to anyone\u2019s companion as their \u201c<em>better half<\/em>.\u201d It\u2019s not that you\u2019re saying they aren\u2019t worthy of being around you, but rather a means of showing respect to you and your partner.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cGood of you to come, Jeff, but where\u2019s your better half? I was looking forward to introducing her to my wife tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks for coming, Sally. We know you\u2019re really busy right now. Where is your better half, or did he have to stay home tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood to see you, Jim. Where\u2019s your better half? I told everyone how I always confuse you with your twin brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi Kelly, it\u2019s a great morning out, don\u2019t you think? Where\u2019s your better half, Shadow? That dog follows you everywhere, and he\u2019s so cute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like to bring my better half with me. That way, everyone can see what a lucky guy I am. I don\u2019t deserve her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2812\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Better-Half.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"172\" height=\"149\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2813\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Better-Half2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Better-Half2.jpg 174w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Better-Half2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Better-Half2-120x120.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u201cbetter half\u201d originates from two Roman poets, Statius and Horace. The duo were popular poets at the peak of the Roman empire, and they were the first to use the expression.<\/p>\n<p>However, the initial use of the phrase was to describe a best friend, not a spouse or partner.<\/p>\n<p>As the decades passed, people would start to use the expression to refer to their partner. The first appearance of the phrase in print comes from Sir Philip Sidney.<\/p>\n<p>Sidney published \u201cThe Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia\u201d in 1580, where the phrase appears as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy deare, my better halfe (sayd hee) I find I must now leaue thee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What does better half mean?\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YV8eMKZg5Aw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Better Half<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Reason for living.<\/li>\n<li>Beauty and the beast.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Better Half<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Other half.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Better half.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Better Half Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Some people may use the phrase to describe the better half of something. While this use of the expression is technically correct, it\u2019s not the more common use for the term.<\/p>\n<p>Your better half is usually your partner or someone that hangs around with your frequently. On most occasions, the woman is the\u00a0 \u201cbetter half\u201d in a heterosexual relationship.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Better Half<\/h2>\n<p>You can use \u201cbetter half\u201d when describing your partner, best friend, or a person you regularly hang around with.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s more common for people to use it when referring to their partner. For instance, you could arrive at a Christmas party alone, and the host could ask you where your better half is and why you didn\u2019t bring them along.<\/p>\n<p>You could also use it to describe someone\u2019s best friend or twin. If they arrive for an event at your home without them, you could use the saying to ask them why their friend or twin didn\u2019t come.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase normally applies to people, but you could also use it to describe a dog or animal that the person in question usually has around them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to ask your friend why they didn\u2019t bring their partner to your cookout? If so, you could ask them where they left their \u201cbetter half.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u201cbetter half\u201d refers to your partner or spouse. It\u2019s a way [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2811"}],"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=2811"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3103,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2811\/revisions\/3103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}