Idiom
sticks and stones
Meaning
Ellipsis of sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Ignore his mean comments because sticks and stones do not really matter.”
“She told her brother to ignore the bullies, reminding him that sticks and stones are just words.”
“Though the harsh criticism stung, she maintained her composure, recalling the old adage that sticks and stones may break bones, but words cannot harm her spirit.”
Examples
simple
“Ignore his mean comments because sticks and stones do not really matter.”
contextual
“She told her brother to ignore the bullies, reminding him that sticks and stones are just words.”
complex
“Though the harsh criticism stung, she maintained her composure, recalling the old adage that sticks and stones may break bones, but words cannot harm her spirit.”
Key words
Related idioms
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