English Idioms about Happiness

English Idioms about Happiness

Smile! The 20th of March is the International Day of Happiness. In honour of this cheerful occasion, we’ll be looking at some common English words and expressions about happiness, which will hopefully leave you feeling like a ‘happy chappy’.

Up, Up and Away

If you say you’re on cloud nine, it doesn’t just mean you’re happy – it means you’re ecstatic, elated, or thrilled (all synonyms for very, very, very happy), or you could say, ‘blissfully happy’ (a common adverb-adjective collocation).

Mia was on cloud nine because she got her dream job.

Timothy’s special order of vintage pots just arrived, so he’s on cloud nine.

Some theories suggest that this idiom originated in the fifties when the term, ‘Cloud Nine’, was coined to denote extra puffy cumulonimbus clouds (and as we all know, fluffiness equals happiness). Some have argued that the reference to the number nine is linked to the stages of Buddhist enlightenment, which others dismissed as complete balderdash because, I mean duh, everyone knows that there are 10 stages, not nine. And so the linguistic mudslinging continues. But hey, as long as it makes them happy.

It’s interesting because there are several related expressions comparing happiness to being somewhere in or beyond the stratosphere, including, ‘Walking on air’, ‘On top of the world,’ and ‘Over the moon.’ It’s not to say that if you’re over the moon you’re happier than if you’re on cloud nine. That would be as silly as people arguing about the origins of English expressions. You can just imagine how the conversation would go, though…

By the way, the last phrase is about as existent as Pluto’s planetary status. To round off our north-bound expressions, ‘In seventh heaven’ means that you’re thoroughly enjoying something…

Dan was in seventh heaven listening to the latest album from The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, his favourite bagpiping band.

Like I said, we’re all different.

Interestingly, just as there are many upward-oriented phrases to denote euphoria, there are several words and phrases about sadness that focus on the opposite end of the compass. For example, you can ‘feel down’ or ‘down in the dumps.’ Fun fact: A related phrase is “down-and-out”, which means to be without money, a job, and possibly a place to live, which would presumably lead to feeling very down in the dumps indeed.

Happy as a…

There are several English phrases that start with, ‘Happy as a…’, as in happy ‘like a…’ A common one is ‘happy as a clam’, which is rather odd because I have never seen a happy clam, or any other happy mollusc mind you, but who knows; they may well be an uproariously funny bunch.

Another one is ‘happy as Larry,’ which, according to legend and Wikipedia, was possibly linked to an Australian boxer named Larry Foley who never lost a match and was, therefore, presumably ‘happy-go-lucky’ (cheerful and relaxed) when he was not nursing a black eye.

It’s also possible to say someone is, ‘happy as a pig in mud’, which I suppose is more understandable than the clam one. Speaking of animals, the expression, ‘Happy as a dog with two tails’, might leave you feeling ‘tickled pink’ (amused) and even ‘grinning from ear to ear.’

Well, that’s it for now. We wish you a very happy Happiness Day!