The practice of using laurels to symbolize victory came from the ancient Greeks.
After winning on the battlefield, great warriors were crowned with a wreath of laurels, or bay leaves, to signify their supreme status during a victory parade.
Because the first Olympics consisted largely of war games, the champions were honored in the same manner, with a laurel, a crown of leaves.
To “rest on your laurels” means to quit while you’re ahead.
Related Posts
-
Does the Heart Ever Rest?
The heart is a muscular organ that serves as a pump, sending blood to every part of the body. The heart is always at work, even while you sleep. If your heart were…
-
Why Is the Middle East So Important To the Rest of the World and How Much Oil Does the Middle East Produce?
The Middle East so important to the rest of the world because it contains most of the world's known oil reserves and is the world's top oil-producing region. Most of the oil produced…
-
Why is the tip of the Washington Monument made of metal while the rest of the structure is made of stone?
When constructed in the 1800s, aluminum was a semiprecious metal, both hard to find and difficult to extract from bauxite, also known as aluminum ore. So at the time, it was considered a…
-
Who founded the Amish and how did they decide to be so detached from the rest of the world?
Before the Amish were Amish, there were Mennonites, founded in the 1530s by a Roman Catholic priest named Menno Simons. The Mennonites believed that the Reformation hadn't gone far enough, and so they…
-
Why didn’t Russia switch over to the Gregorian calendar when the rest of Europe did?
Russia didn't switch over to the Gregorian calendar from the Julian calendar when the rest of Europe did in large part because of professional jealousy. The Gregorian calendar had been sponsored by a…
-
How Large Is the United States In Population Compared With the Rest of the World?
In 2000, the United States was the world's third largest nation, with more than 281 million people. China was more than four and a half times larger. Here were the top 10 countries…
