Say it with flowers: The history of flower-based phrases and idioms - explainer

As we “roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” as Nat King Cole sang, we can bask in the welcome warm weather and enjoy all that nature has to offer. For anthophiles – people who love flowers – what could be more intoxicating than imbibing the sight and scents of the floral arrays that surround us? A sheer delight for the senses. 

There is a host of expressions related to flowers, plus many of their names have intriguing origins, so let’s take a stroll through life’s garden and take our pick of the beautiful blooms that abound.

Origin of flower expressions

The rose is considered the most beautiful flower in the world, which is why it is called the “queen of the garden.” There are 150 wild species of roses and 30,000 cultivated varieties. 

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo says, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” 

In regard to first names, there is a garden variety, so to speak, of appellations that denote flowers, such as Rose, Daisy, Violet, Lily, Iris, Heather, Dahlia, Hyacinth, and Jasmine, not to mention Flora and Blossom. 

In Hebrew, too, many first names are plucked from the floral arena. In Israel, there are countless females bearing names such as Shoshana (rose or lily); Vered (rose); Sigal (violet); Irit (daffodil); Dafna (laurel); Hadas (myrtle); Nurit (buttercup); Kalanit (anemone); Smadar (blossom); Ilana (tree); Neta (plant); and Tamar (palm tree). 

Worldwide, there are family names that are derived from the verdant universe as well. For example, the name Blumenthal means “valley of flowers” in German. Blumstein means “flower stone.” Kranz means “wreath,” hence Rosenkranz means “wreath of roses.” Roosevelt and Rosenfeld mean “rose field.” Rosenberg means “rose mountain.” Rosenzweig means “rose twig.” Rosenbaum means “rose tree.” And Montefiore means “flower mountain” in Italian.

As mentioned, the names of flowers themselves have some interesting origins, so let’s do a little digging.

The term “daisy” traces its roots to the Old English phrase dæges ēage, which means “day’s eye.” It was so called because the flower opens in the morning and closes at night. The expression “fresh as a daisy” originated in the 18th century and refers to someone who looks and feels refreshed, lively, and full of energy, similar to the vibrant and rejuvenated appearance of a daisy. 

The name “dandelion” dates back to late Middle English, derived from the French phrase dent de lion, a translation of medieval Latin dens leonis, which means “lion’s tooth,” referencing the jagged shape of the yellow petals.

Similarly, the tiger lily derives its name from its evoking of the jungle cat. The distinct orange petals adorned with dark spots resemble the markings of the formidable feline.

The anemone, which is Israel’s national flower (kalanit), is also called windflower. The word “anemone,” first used in English in the mid-1500s, comes from the Greek word meaning “daughter of the wind,” as it was believed that the brightly colored petals only opened when the wind blew. 

The lush bougainvillea, which is native to Brazil, Peru, and Argentina, was named after 18th-century French admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who led a voyage of circumnavigation around the world. His expedition was part of the race between the British and the French to make new discoveries in the South Pacific. 

In that context, the dahlia was named after Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl (1751-1789). He was a student of famed Swedish biologist and physician Carl Linnaeus, who formalized binomial nomenclature – a system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts. 

The colorful fuchsia was named after German physician and botanist Leonhart Fuchs, who authored a large book about plants and their medicinal uses, published in Latin in 1542. 

Although tulips are generally associated with Holland, they were originally native to Central Asia and Turkey. The modern name “tulip” is the Latinized version of the Turkish word for turban, tülbend, which derives from the Persian dulband, meaning “round.” The name was chosen because the shape of the flower was thought to resemble a turban 

In botanical parlance, wallflowers are a large, diverse group of flowering plants in the cabbage family. This group is so named because several hardy species within the genus sometimes grow out of cracks on stone or brick walls. Many wallflowers have showy blooms and are cultivated as ornamentals. The diversity of habitats in which wallflowers thrive means they can be grown in temperate, subtropical, and tropical gardens.

Metaphorically speaking, a “wallflower” is someone who is extremely introverted. Such people may attend social gatherings but distance themselves from the crowd, avoiding the limelight. Like the plant’s unusual growth pattern against a wall as a stake or in cracks and gaps in stone walls, “wallflowers” might literally stand against a wall and simply observe others at a party rather than mingle with them.

In the same vein, the term “shrinking violet” refers to a person who is very shy or timid and doesn’t like to attract attention: The idiom first appeared in the UK in the early 1800s. Why the comparison to a violet? The concept is that a wild violet grows in shady spots, out of the sun, and more or less hides its flowers under its leaves. The expression is often used in the reverse as in the phrase “She’s no shrinking violet.” That is, she is not at all shy and can speak up for herself. 

In the realm of rare breeds, the Middlemist Red is the rarest flower on Earth. It belongs to the camellia genus. The beautiful bloom was imported from China as a luxury item in 1804 but was wiped out from its native country. It was brought to Chiswick, West London, by a nurseryman called John Middlemist, after whom the flower was named. Currently, the flower is found in only two locations: a garden in New Zealand called Treaty House; and a greenhouse in London’s Chiswick House & Gardens. 

The most priceless flower in the world is the Kadupul. It is found in Sri Lanka and is part of the cactus family. The lovely white flower is so fragile that it lasts only a few hours. It tends to bloom on a monthly basis, on full moon days, The Kadupul only blooms at night and withers before dawn. Once all the buds are revealed, the flower emanates a lovely, calming fragrance. But the flower is so delicate that it is impossible to pick without damaging it. The Kadupul is considered priceless because it is extremely rare, blooms only at night and wilts after just a few hours, thus making it impossible to sell. 

When it comes to the sheer ecstasy derived from experiencing the seemingly ineffable beauty of flowers, leave it to the poets to find a way to express that exhilaration. William Wordsworth did just that in his four-verse poem “Daffodils,” published in 1807. The first and last verse speak volumes:

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

———————

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.■