Take by storm is an expression that essentially means “to conquer”, especially when a newcomer “conquers” the admiration or support of those around him.
You see take by storm being used in relation to new actors, singers or writers, for example, who “hit the big time” and become hugely successful overnight.
But what sense does this make, since storm means “storm”? A little etymology helps us understand this: storm , in Old English, also meant “to attack” and “attack”. Even in modern English, in fact, to storm means “to attack with everything”, especially when we are talking about an army or group of fighters attacking a defensive position. Thus, to take by storm originally meant “to take by assault” or “conquer” an enemy position.
But since our world today is so peaceful, even the most bellicose expressions have been repurposed for new scenarios that attract our attention. Thus, take by storm has come to refer to the “conquest” of someone who overcomes the opposition of critics, media or fans, and earns their respect.
Check out some examples for Anki – first in the literal sense (which, I forgot to say, is rare but can still be used today) and then in the figurative sense.
1 – Take by storm , “take by assault”, “conquer”. The idea is of a violent and rapid attack that knocks down everything in its path.
The
invaders took the castle by storm .
Their force was not strong enough to take the town by storm .
He
took the city by storm and sold the entire population into slavery.
2 – Take by storm , “arrive with everything”, “be a hit”, “be the biggest success”, etc.
The new rock group took the town by storm .
The new rock group was the biggest hit in town .
Jazz took London and Paris by storm in the 1920s.
Jazz arrived with a vengeance in London and Paris in the 1920s.
As
everyone knows, the Beatles took the US by storm .
The writer has taken the literary world by storm .
The writer has become the biggest success in the literary world .
The new
fashion has taken London by storm .
Kenya ‘s
long distance runners have taken the athletics world by storm .
The actor took the critics by storm .
What did you think of the expression? Tell us in the comments if you enjoyed learning more about it.
