Considered to be the greatest writer of the English language and the most well-known dramatist in the world, William Shakespeare was born over 450 years ago, and lived to the age of 52. Celebrations are planned around the world to remember the great man known as the Bard.

He must be the most quoted writer in the history of the English-speaking world and many of his quotations and neologisms have passed into everyday usage in English and other languages. When we think of Shakespeare quotes, To be, or not to be, that is the question from Hamlet springs to mind. Yet Shakespeare’s expressions and words are unknowingly quoted by most of us on a daily basis.

He used around 29,000 different words in his plays – at least double the vocabulary of other great English writers. An amazing 10,000 of these had never previously been used in any surviving English literature, and 1700 of them are household words today. You may be surprised to know that excitement, lonely, flawed, fashionable, champion, tranquil, blushing, amazement and zany were all invented by Shakespeare.

He is also credited for inventing (or at least popularising) many everyday expressions including it’s all Greek to me, cold comfort, and without rhyme or reason. A charmed life was said by Macbeth to Macduff in reference to the witches’ prophecy. Come full circle is from King Lear, neither here nor there is from Othello and the idea of being cruel to be kind is from Hamlet.

When you rise after a restless night you can thank Cymbeline for the expression, I have not slept a wink and when you catch someone doing something they shouldn’t, again thank Cymbeline for the game is up!

As You Like It has given us all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players but also too much of a good thing. A foregone conclusion comes from Othello, as does wearing your heart on your sleeve and the green-eyed monster of jealousy.

So next time you use expressions such as kill with kindness, come what may, heart of gold or every dog will have its day, think of William working away with his quill and ink.

Happy Puzzling!