Say what? Still waters run deep / A rolling stone gathers no moss
It's Friday yet again, and we know what that means-it's time for another installment of "Say What?"!
Today we'll learn about the sayings still waters run deep and a rolling stone gathers no moss, with a little help from the folks of Supernatural.
Still waters run deep.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, this saying has been used in its figurative sense since around 1400, but the physically observed phenomenon has been remarked on since ancient times. What it means is that we shouldn't be fooled by appearances: just because a person appears quiet, shy, or unassuming on the outside, that doesn't mean they're not actually profound, complex, or passionate. Or, as Anthony Trollope put it:
"That's what I call still water. She runs deep enough. . . . So quiet, but so-clever." (He Knew He Was Right, 1869)
Common enough outside fandom, this saying should be easy to work in to any fic in which one character is observing the relative intelligence or ambitiousness of another character who appears dull.
"Dude, can we just go? She's the most boring monster ever, if she is one. Seems more like a librarian to me," Dean sighed. He rubbed his eyes. They'd been watching the suspected sphinx for hours, but she hadn't done anything except sit quietly and read the whole time.
Sam glanced at him and raised a prissy eyebrow. "Nope. Still waters run deep, Dean. I bet she's plotting world domination or another apocalypse as we speak."
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
This saying, also from antiquity, is a little more interesting in that it's changed from having somewhat negative connotations to neutral or even positive ones. Originally, a rolling stone gathers no moss meant that a person who couldn't settle down in one spot wouldn't get much done. However, around the mid-1800s, values began to shift, and now the saying is used either without any judgment attached to it or to imply that the person on the move won't have to be tied down or suffer from inertia:
"A rolling stone gathers no moss," he said, "but a sitting hen loses feathers." (Katharine Susannah Prichard, 1929)
Since this saying can be used multiple ways, your characters' values will dictate which spin you put on it. For instance, a character who prefers action or change will view a rolling, moss-free stone in a positive light:
Dean ran through the doorway, shotgun at the ready. "C'mon, Cas," he hollered. "Let's get to it! A rolling stone gathers no moss."
Conversely, a character who values steadfastness is more likely to use this saying in a more neutral or even negative way:
Castiel frowned as he considered Dean's plan to infiltrate the vampires' nest. "I think we should do more reconnaissance, like Sam suggested. You know what they say: a rolling stone gathers no moss, and we need more moss."
Both of these sayings are well known, so if you decide to use them, your readers shouldn't have any trouble following your meaning. And if you're undecided, I suggest you just go for it. Like a rolling stone gathers no moss, an unfinished fic gathers few readers.
Sources:
The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Christine Ammer. Houghton and Mifflin, 2003.
Random House Dictionary of America's Popular Proverbs and Sayings, Gregory Titelman. Random House, 2000.
"A rolling stone gathers no moss." TheFreeDictionary.com
"A rolling stone gathers no moss." Phrases.org
"A rolling stone gathers no moss." Wikipedia.org
"Still waters run deep." TheFreeDictionary.com
"Still waters run deep." Phrases.org
"Still waters run deep." Wikipedia.org
Today we'll learn about the sayings still waters run deep and a rolling stone gathers no moss, with a little help from the folks of Supernatural.
Still waters run deep.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, this saying has been used in its figurative sense since around 1400, but the physically observed phenomenon has been remarked on since ancient times. What it means is that we shouldn't be fooled by appearances: just because a person appears quiet, shy, or unassuming on the outside, that doesn't mean they're not actually profound, complex, or passionate. Or, as Anthony Trollope put it:
"That's what I call still water. She runs deep enough. . . . So quiet, but so-clever." (He Knew He Was Right, 1869)
Common enough outside fandom, this saying should be easy to work in to any fic in which one character is observing the relative intelligence or ambitiousness of another character who appears dull.
"Dude, can we just go? She's the most boring monster ever, if she is one. Seems more like a librarian to me," Dean sighed. He rubbed his eyes. They'd been watching the suspected sphinx for hours, but she hadn't done anything except sit quietly and read the whole time.
Sam glanced at him and raised a prissy eyebrow. "Nope. Still waters run deep, Dean. I bet she's plotting world domination or another apocalypse as we speak."
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
This saying, also from antiquity, is a little more interesting in that it's changed from having somewhat negative connotations to neutral or even positive ones. Originally, a rolling stone gathers no moss meant that a person who couldn't settle down in one spot wouldn't get much done. However, around the mid-1800s, values began to shift, and now the saying is used either without any judgment attached to it or to imply that the person on the move won't have to be tied down or suffer from inertia:
"A rolling stone gathers no moss," he said, "but a sitting hen loses feathers." (Katharine Susannah Prichard, 1929)
Since this saying can be used multiple ways, your characters' values will dictate which spin you put on it. For instance, a character who prefers action or change will view a rolling, moss-free stone in a positive light:
Dean ran through the doorway, shotgun at the ready. "C'mon, Cas," he hollered. "Let's get to it! A rolling stone gathers no moss."
Conversely, a character who values steadfastness is more likely to use this saying in a more neutral or even negative way:
Castiel frowned as he considered Dean's plan to infiltrate the vampires' nest. "I think we should do more reconnaissance, like Sam suggested. You know what they say: a rolling stone gathers no moss, and we need more moss."
Both of these sayings are well known, so if you decide to use them, your readers shouldn't have any trouble following your meaning. And if you're undecided, I suggest you just go for it. Like a rolling stone gathers no moss, an unfinished fic gathers few readers.
Sources:
The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Christine Ammer. Houghton and Mifflin, 2003.
Random House Dictionary of America's Popular Proverbs and Sayings, Gregory Titelman. Random House, 2000.
"A rolling stone gathers no moss." TheFreeDictionary.com
"A rolling stone gathers no moss." Phrases.org
"A rolling stone gathers no moss." Wikipedia.org
"Still waters run deep." TheFreeDictionary.com
"Still waters run deep." Phrases.org
"Still waters run deep." Wikipedia.org