WyattSheepMask Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 34 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said: This kind of fits this thread but I’ve always thought “Revenge is a dish best served cold” meant to be ruthless and emotionless when carrying out revenge, but I was listening to a podcast about Chairman Mao and they recanted a story about how he waited years to act out revenge on an enemy, and how the dish was very cold after waiting to be served for all those years. So it means bide your time doesn’t it? As in the food has gotten cold because you took ages serving it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperBacon Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 48 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said: This kind of fits this thread but I’ve always thought “Revenge is a dish best served cold” meant to be ruthless and emotionless when carrying out revenge, but I was listening to a podcast about Chairman Mao and they recanted a story about how he waited years to act out revenge on an enemy, and how the dish was very cold after waiting to be served for all those years. So it means bide your time doesn’t it? As in the food has gotten cold because you took ages serving it up! I've always read it as that. I think? Now you've made me doubt myself! And a podcast about Mao? Can't think of anything more you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 Yeah it means you wait and bid your time. It’s from Othello I think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted October 26, 2022 Author Share Posted October 26, 2022 6 minutes ago, Loki said: Yeah it means you wait and bid your time. It’s from Othello I think? It’s translated from a French writer as Google told me earlier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted October 26, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted October 26, 2022 4 hours ago, Keith Houchen said: This kind of fits this thread but I’ve always thought “Revenge is a dish best served cold” meant to be ruthless and emotionless when carrying out revenge, but I was listening to a podcast about Chairman Mao and they recanted a story about how he waited years to act out revenge on an enemy, and how the dish was very cold after waiting to be served for all those years. So it means bide your time doesn’t it? As in the food has gotten cold because you took ages serving it up! I'd say it's probably both, hence why it's so poetic; fits the tradition of the double. Basically, take your time, to calculate and plan, and cause your enemy to lower their guard, but also to allow the heat of anger to leave you so that you can be ruthless and efficient with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Monkee Posted October 26, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted October 26, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, Keith Houchen said: It’s translated from a French writer as Google told me earlier! It’s from Dangerous Liaisons (the original French text). Edit - Sorry, it’s attributed to the book but may be from another source according to my further research. Knowledge resulting from my Keanu Reeves obsession 🙃 Info - https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-cold.html Edited October 26, 2022 by Monkee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted October 26, 2022 Author Share Posted October 26, 2022 5 minutes ago, Monkee said: Knowledge resulting from my Keanu Reeves obsession Speaking of which, what’s the deal with Matthew Perrys autobiography? Saying how real thinkers and talent like River Phoenix are dead but Keanu still walks among us? Is there beef, or is it an injoke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperBacon Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 8 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said: Speaking of which, what’s the deal with Matthew Perrys autobiography? Saying how real thinkers and talent like River Phoenix are dead but Keanu still walks among us? Is there beef, or is it an injoke? Just read about this. Could Chandler BE any more wrong? That's actually a real shame, as although I probably wouldn't pay full whack for it, I'd be quite interested to read his book. Perhaps it's a gag? Or what he thought at the time of his addiction/what he felt then? Weird that an editor would let that pass through in such a high profile book though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted October 26, 2022 Author Share Posted October 26, 2022 5 minutes ago, SuperBacon said: Perhaps it's a gag? That was my first thought, it’s not rare for celebrities to joshingly take potshots in long running gags in print. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Monkee Posted October 26, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted October 26, 2022 (edited) I hadn’t even heard anything about this. So my perspective - regardless of whose opinion that is, it’s nothing new. Keanu Reeves has been slated his entire career and there are no end of other actors he’s been paired against to show how bad he is. But, at the end of the day, even though that might be true, it’s obviously not affected his career (or how he’s viewed as a person) in the slightest. In conclusion, m’lord, who gives a fuck about what anyone - particularly Matthew Perry (whooooo?) - has to say about the household name, superstar, [occasional] box office smash, genuinely all-round lovely human (totally not biased here), Keanu Reeves? PS I’m adding this as it’s one of my claims to fame - another reason why Keanu Reeves is just so damn amazing is because he once threw me the horns when he saw I was wearing his band’s T-shirt 😎 Edited October 26, 2022 by Monkee Bloody typos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Danger Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 Keanu Reeves might be one of them people that is so good that he makes Matthew Perry feel bad about himself. He’s since backtracked and said he picked a random name but no way is he using Keanu Reeves as a random example of someone less worthy of life than a more talented actor. It’d be easier to pass off as a joke in poor taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmoney Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 On the theme of not quite understanding phrases or idioms, it took me ages to understand " to have your cake and eat it" and it's variations. I thought it meant you were resourceful or sneaky and were somehow managing to do something impossible, or something. It's actually a phrase meaning that it's impossible to do that. I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallicks Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 11 minutes ago, gmoney said: On the theme of not quite understanding phrases or idioms, it took me ages to understand " to have your cake and eat it" and it's variations. I thought it meant you were resourceful or sneaky and were somehow managing to do something impossible, or something. It's actually a phrase meaning that it's impossible to do that. I think. A friend of mine told me it’s to do with how it was translated from French. I think the correct translation would have been “you can’t keep your cake and eat it”, which I think ultimately amounts to the same thing as the way it’s used in common parlance, but is a bit more obvious in that it’s a kind of, “you can’t have it both ways” type of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAREBEAR LUVVA Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 A lad at work has used the phrase "in rude health" a few times recently when talking about how we're understaffed because so many people are off sick. "We seem to be in particularly rude health at the moment, there's not many of us left", that sort of thing. Problem is, "rude health" means to be in particularly good health, and I haven't got the patience to try to explain it to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted October 27, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted October 27, 2022 4 hours ago, hallicks said: A friend of mine told me it’s to do with how it was translated from French. I think the correct translation would have been “you can’t keep your cake and eat it”, which I think ultimately amounts to the same thing as the way it’s used in common parlance, but is a bit more obvious in that it’s a kind of, “you can’t have it both ways” type of thing. Yeah, it's a bit of a mistranslation of reading. In English people tend to read it as a sequence of two events (which is why people sometimes 'correct' it to 'can't eat your cake and [then] have it'.) In French you're meant to read it as a simultaneous state where both things are true (with the whole saying explaining that state is impossible.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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