fifth wheel
🔄 fifth wheel: An unneeded extra, a superfluous person or thing. This expression was already listed as a proverb in the sixteenth century in a French collection; in its complete form, it pointed out that the fifth wheel on a wagon does nothing but impede it (C. B. Bouelles, Proverbia Vulgaria, 1531).
📖 Thomas Dekker repeated it in a play (Match Me in London, 1631, Act I), again in a fairly literal fashion: “Thou tyest but wings to a swift gray hound’s heele, and addest to a running chariot a fift Wheele.” But it also was being used figuratively during this period and has continued to be ever since.
Related Expressions 🌐
- Third wheel: Similar to “fifth wheel,” this term often refers to a person who feels out of place in a social situation, such as being an extra person on a date.
- Extra baggage: This idiom refers to unnecessary burdens or responsibilities.
- Excessive ornamentation: Adding more complexity or embellishment than needed.
Similar Proverbs 🧾
- “Two’s company, three’s a crowd.”
- “A stitch in time saves nine.” (Removing anything unnecessary early on can prevent more problems.)
Humorous Quotes 😄
- “A fifth wheel on a wagon might be as useful as a screen door on a submarine.”
Literary Learnings 📚
Books:
- Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka – Talk about feeling unnecessary!
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – Ever felt like Holden?
Songs:
- “All By Myself” by Eric Carmen
- “Tangled Up in Blue” by Bob Dylan
Movies:
- The Outsiders – Nothing says feeling out of place like this classic.
- Her – A unique take on extra emotional attachments.
Quizzes!
### Which of these is a real idiom?
- [x] Feeling like a fifth wheel
- [ ] Rolling with an extra pancake
- [ ] Skating on an invisible ramp
- [ ] Sailing with eight rudders
> **Explanation:** "Feeling like a fifth wheel" is a genuine idiom used to describe feeling unnecessary or superfluous. The others? Creative nonsense!
### Which phrase is synonymous with "fifth wheel"?
- [ ] Running on empty
- [x] Third wheel
- [ ] Crunching numbers
- [ ] Dressed to the nines
> **Explanation:** "Third wheel" is closely related to "fifth wheel," as both express the idea of an unnecessary addition. The other options, while expressive, aren't related to the same concept.
👋 Until next time, remember: There’s beauty even in redundancy—like an extra rainbow in the rain. 🌈
