Phrase Finder

Meaning

More honoured in the breach than in the observance

Categorised in: A list of phrases about animals ·Phrases coined by Shakespeare - Hamlet ·135 Phrases coined by William Shakespeare

What's the meaning of the phrase 'More honoured in the breach than in the observance'?

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'.

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay - caption

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘More honoured in the breach than in the observance’?

From Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 1602:

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.

Historical trend

“More honoured in the breach” in printed material over time

Source: Google Books Ngrams (1820–2020).

18201840186018801900192019401960198020002020
  • More honoured in the breach