an axe to grind
to have a hidden reason for doing something
TRANSLATION
an axe to grind = ein verstecktes, eigennütziges Motiv haben, etwas zu tun --- GOOGLE INDEX an axe to grind: approximately 300,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
MPs accused of having AXE TO GRIND
(The London Telegraph - News Headline)
---
Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour, said on his web site that the article is simply repeating discredited claims from someone with an AXE TO GRIND.
(Cycling Weekly)
(The London Telegraph - News Headline)
---
Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour, said on his web site that the article is simply repeating discredited claims from someone with an AXE TO GRIND.
(Cycling Weekly)
Did you
know?
to have an axe to grind
idiom
- have a private reason for doing or being involved in something
(Compact Oxford Dictionary)
---
An axe to grind means a private or selfish motive behind a request or action - something which is not obvious at first glance. The creation of this expression is attributed to Benjamin Franklin, American statesman and one of the founders of the country. Franklin used the phrase in an article entitled "Too Much for Your Whistle."
The story is that of a young man who had an axe that needed to be sharpened. He pretended to the young Franklin that he didn't know how a grindstone worked, so he asked Franklin to show him. After many turns of the handle later, Franklin was weary and the axe was sharp. Having achieved his objective, which was not initially apparent, the young man then mocked Franklin for having been tricked into doing all the work.
Note: Axe is also spelled "ax," particularly in U.S. English.
(source: Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins)
---
SYNONYMS
to have an ulterior motive, to have a hidden agenda
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Be careful hiring him, his answers sound like he has an axe to grind."
idiom
- have a private reason for doing or being involved in something
(Compact Oxford Dictionary)
---
An axe to grind means a private or selfish motive behind a request or action - something which is not obvious at first glance. The creation of this expression is attributed to Benjamin Franklin, American statesman and one of the founders of the country. Franklin used the phrase in an article entitled "Too Much for Your Whistle."
The story is that of a young man who had an axe that needed to be sharpened. He pretended to the young Franklin that he didn't know how a grindstone worked, so he asked Franklin to show him. After many turns of the handle later, Franklin was weary and the axe was sharp. Having achieved his objective, which was not initially apparent, the young man then mocked Franklin for having been tricked into doing all the work.
Note: Axe is also spelled "ax," particularly in U.S. English.
(source: Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins)
---
SYNONYMS
to have an ulterior motive, to have a hidden agenda
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Be careful hiring him, his answers sound like he has an axe to grind."
