nothing to write home about
something which is not very good or exciting
TRANSLATION
nothing to write home about = nichts Besonderes --- GOOGLE INDEX nothing to write home about: approximately 550,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Higher IT budgets are better than lower, but 7.2% growth is NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT.
(CIO magazine)
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The album is actually a set of standard alternative rock tracks that is NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT.
(www.towerlight.com)
(CIO magazine)
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The album is actually a set of standard alternative rock tracks that is NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT.
(www.towerlight.com)
Did you
know?
nothing to write home about
idiom
- not something that is especially good or exciting
(Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms)
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WORD ORIGIN
The idiom "nothing to write home about" is a way to describe something that is ordinary or unremarkable. The expression dates back to the late nineteenth century according to the Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings (1996) by Gregory Y. Titelman. The author cites a passage from a 1928 book "The Man from the River:"
"He was bleeding a bit, but nothing to write home about." In other words, the bleeding was obviously not life threatening.
In her book "Fighting Words" (NTC Publishing Group, Chicago, Ill., 1989, 1999), Christine Ammer says, "Although it originated somewhat earlier, this expression became increasingly popular during World War I among American troops stationed far from home." This was probably just a way for soldiers to keep family and friends from worrying about them when they wrote letters.
One could imagine a soldier writing something like, "We caught sight of the enemy yesterday, but it's nothing to write home about."
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"The hotel service is nothing to write home about."
idiom
- not something that is especially good or exciting
(Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms)
---
WORD ORIGIN
The idiom "nothing to write home about" is a way to describe something that is ordinary or unremarkable. The expression dates back to the late nineteenth century according to the Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings (1996) by Gregory Y. Titelman. The author cites a passage from a 1928 book "The Man from the River:"
"He was bleeding a bit, but nothing to write home about." In other words, the bleeding was obviously not life threatening.
In her book "Fighting Words" (NTC Publishing Group, Chicago, Ill., 1989, 1999), Christine Ammer says, "Although it originated somewhat earlier, this expression became increasingly popular during World War I among American troops stationed far from home." This was probably just a way for soldiers to keep family and friends from worrying about them when they wrote letters.
One could imagine a soldier writing something like, "We caught sight of the enemy yesterday, but it's nothing to write home about."
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"The hotel service is nothing to write home about."
