# "rolling over in his grave"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-over-in-his-grave/266768>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 30, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-over-in-his-grave/266768 "2004-09-30T00:59:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Miss\_Magic8ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Miss\_Magic8ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Magic8ball)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-over-in-his-grave/266768/1 "2004-09-30T00:59:08Z")

</div>

Ever been in a school play? You know when you’re doing Shakespear and the drama teacher butchers it needlessly and painfully? He makes it so bad that **Shakespear is rolling in his grave**?

Where does that term come from?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-over-in-his-grave/266768/2 "2004-09-30T01:56:28Z")

</div>

A quick scan of all my databases would indicate that it only was invented in the mid-20th century.

I’ll be glad if someone can find an early cite.