That's Greek to me or It's (all) Greek to me is an idiom/dead metaphor in English, claiming that an expression is incomprehensible, either due to complexity or imprecision. The expression may be used with respect to verbal expressions with excessive jargon of dialect, mathematics, or science. The metaphor makes reference to the Greek language and the Greek alphabet (either ancient or modern).

The usage of the metaphor in English language traces back to early modern times:

but those that understood him smiled at one another and

shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me

(William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (1599)

Ironically, this line worked literally. The speaker Casca has just returned from a celebration at which he says that Cicero spoke in Greek, and "it was Greek to me."

The expression is almost exclusively used with reference to the speaker (generally "Greek to me"; rarely or never "Greek to him").

It may have been a direct translation of a similar phrase in Latin: "Graecum est; non legitur" ("it is Greek, [therefore] it cannot be read"). This phrase was increasingly used by monk scribes in the Middle Ages, as knowledge of Greek was dwindling among those who were copying manuscripts in monastic libraries.

Different languages have similar formulations. Many have picked the point of reference to be a foreign language with another alphabet or writing system.

This is an example of the usage of demonyms in relation to the ability of a people to be understood, comparable to the development of the words barbarian (one who babbles), Nemecky (Slavic for "one who is not understood", indicating Germans).

In other languages

See also

• Greeking
• Writing system

References

External links

• Translations of "it's all Greek to me" on Omniglot.com
• Translations of "it's all Greek to me" on Wordreference.com

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