{"id":9488,"date":"2022-09-25T18:00:16","date_gmt":"2022-09-25T18:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=9488"},"modified":"2022-09-25T18:01:08","modified_gmt":"2022-09-25T18:01:08","slug":"grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Grass is Greener on the Other Side \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did a friend say 'the grass is greener on the other side'<\/em><\/strong> when leaving your company for the competition? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression 'grass is greener on the other side'<\/em> means that things we don't have or desire always seem better than what we have in life at the time.<\/u><\/p>\n

If the grass is greener on the other side,<\/em> it means that you want what other people have,<\/u> or you're upset with your current status or place in life<\/u> and dream of more. It's a way of inadvertently saying you're not happy or grateful for your lot in life.<\/u><\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\"We always think the grass is greener on the other side. Our human expectation helps us move forward with our lives in the hope of finding something better than what we have.\"<\/p>\n

\"The reality is the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Sometimes, you're walking into a trap.\"<\/p>\n

\"The grass is greener on the other side? Tell that to the millions of addicts living in America without hope for the future.\"<\/p>\n

\"I want to leave this job. The competition is headhunting me, and the grass is greener on the other side, according to the people I know that work for them.\"<\/p>\n

\"We often think the grass is greener on the other side, only to find that it's not what we expect. Sometimes it's good to be grateful for what you have.\"<\/p>\n

\"She thought the grass was greener on the other side, so I let her go. Now she's texting me, saying she wants to come back. I told her it's too late.\"<\/p>\n

\"The grass is greener on the other side. Trust me, take a minute to check it out, and you'll understand what I'm talking about, I promise.\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

'The grass is greener on the other side' originates from the Greek poet Ovid. Ovid was a contemporary thinker living in the first century B.C. The original version of the saying is, 'the harvest is always richer in another man's field.'<\/p>\n

The modern use of the saying derives from an American folk song by Richard A. Whiting and Raymond B. Egan, written in 1924. The song's title is 'The Grass Is Always Greener in the Other Fellow's Yard.' The expression appears in the chorus as follows.<\/p>\n

The grass is always greener<\/p>\n

In the other fellow\u2019s yard.<\/p>\n

The little row<\/p>\n

We have to hoe,<\/p>\n

Oh boy that\u2019s hard.<\/p>\n

But if we all could wear<\/p>\n

Green glasses now,<\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be so hard<\/p>\n

To see how green the grass is<\/p>\n

In our own backyard.<\/p>\n