the world is someone's oyster

== English == === Etymology === From the version of the play The Merry Wives of Windsor published in the First Folio (1623) of the works of the English playwright William Shakespeare (baptized 1564; died 1616): see the quotation. The original context was that Ancient Pistol would use force to obtain a loan from Sir John Falstaff, like prising open an oyster with a sword to obtain a pearl. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ðə ˈwɜːld‿ɪz ˌsʌmwʌnz ˈɔɪstə/ (General American) IPA(key): /ðə ˈwɜɹld‿ɪz ˌsʌmwʌnz ˈɔɪstəɹ/ Rhymes: -ɔɪstə(ɹ) === Proverb === the world is someone's oyster All opportunities are open to someone; the world is theirs. ==== Usage notes ==== As the quotations show, the proverb is frequently used with different forms of the word be, and with different pronouns. ==== Derived terms ==== the world is one's lobster ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== carpe diem seize the day take the bull by the horns === References === === Further reading === “the world is your oyster, phrase”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present; from Collins COBUILD Advanced Dictionary, 6th edition, Boston, Mass.: Heinle Cengage Learning; Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009, →ISBN. “the world is someone’s oyster, idiom”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.