Over the Moon

Leaving My House

I can finally leave my house and I am over the moon. My quarantine ended at midnight last night. I left my house at midnight last night. I went for a short drive. It was just great to leave the house.

Meaning

Over the moon means happy, very happy. This phrase derives from the longer phrase, to leap (jump) over the moon.

Example: I am over the moon to see my family again.

Origin

While over the moon dates to 1619, the original phrase meant the opposite of what it does today. Over the moon gained its “happy” meaning in 1718. The Irish playwright and journalist, Charles Molloy, wrote, “Tis he, ‘tis he! I know him now: I shall jump over the moon for joy! Master, my dear Master, I have found you!”

Leaping over the moon was also mentioned by the Irish satirist, Jonathan Swift, in 1733 and the Irish author, Arthur Murray, in 1761. There is a strong connection to Ireland leading speculation that it has Irish roots.

Hey Diddle Diddle

Over the moon became well-known through the nursery rhyme, Hey Diddle Diddle. The rhyme is non-sensical:

Hey diddle diddle,

The cat and the fiddle,

The Cow jumped over the moon,

The little dog laughed to see such a craft

and the dish ran away with the spoon.

Hey diddle diddle was first recorded in 1765. In that version, a fork ran away with the spoon. However, it is believed to be much older. It may have been referenced by Thomas Preston in his 1569 play, A lamentable tragedy mixed ful of pleasant mirth, conteyning the life of Cambises King of Percia, “They be at hand Sir with stick and fiddle: They can play a new daunce called hey diddle diddle.”

There is some debate about what the poem might mean. Let’s just look at the cow jumping over the moon. Some people believe it refers to the constellation, Taurus. The author of the Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum retold the story from a little boy’s perspective. He wrote about a cow jumping over the reflection of the moon in water. In other theories, the cow jumping over the moon may refer to Hathor (Egyptian goddess of love), Queen Elizabeth, or Katherine of Aragon.

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Resources:

https://wordhistories.net/2017/06/22/over-the-moon-origin/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Diddle_Diddle
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/hey-diddle-diddle-lyrics-meaning-nursery-rhyme/
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0617/3965/files/Cow_Jumped_Over_Moon_free_book.pdf?8146540725243685088
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A10041.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext