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More honoured in the breach than in the observance
More honoured in the breach than in the observance
More honoured in the breach than in the observance
Meaning:
This is usually thought to mean a rule which is more often broken than observed. The context of the play shows the real meaning as 'it is more honourable to breach than to observe'.
Example:
Origin:
From Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1603:
HAMLET Ay, marry, is't:
But to my mind, though I am native here
And to the manner born, it is a custom
More honour'd in the breach than the observance.
HAMLET Ay, marry, is't:
But to my mind, though I am native here
And to the manner born, it is a custom
More honour'd in the breach than the observance.
Phrases | More honoured in the breach than in the observance to HOME PAGE
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