revenge is a dish best served cold en · X
Etymology
The earliest known metaphorical reference to revenge as food in English is “And then revenge is very good eaten cold, as the vulgar say”, from an 1846 translation of Eugène Sue's Mathilde: Mémoires d'une Jeune Femme. The passage suggests that it was an existing expression. Similar proverbs are known as early as the 17th century with “Reuenge is not good in cold bloud” in a translation of Don Quixote. The phrase exists in various Romance languages: Italian la vendetta è un piatto che va servito freddo, Spanish la venganza es un plato que se sirve frío, French la vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid. In French, it is commonly used since at least the 19th century. In English, many variations are attested but the exact phrase revenge is a dish best served cold may originate from the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Meanings
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Revenge should not be rushed, because it must be calculated coolly or because it is most satisfying when delayed.
He was no coward, but it had suddenly struck him that the present was a very ill-chosen time for a row with his younger relative, however successful might be the issue. Such violence should not go unpunished, but vengeance is a dish that can be eaten cold.
1892, James Payn, A Modern Dick Whittington; or, A Patron of Letters, volume 1, page 222:Time had brought me revenge on Lionel, and as the Italian proverb says, revenge is a dish which people of taste prefer to eat cold.
1949, Robert Hamer, John Dighton, Kind Hearts and Coronets, spoken by Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price):Don Corleone nodded. “Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold,” he said.
1969, Mario Puzo, The Godfather, New York, page 404:Of course! We are one big, happy fleet! Ah, Kirk, my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold?
1982, Jack B. Sowards, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, spoken by Khan (Ricardo Montalbán):
Relateds
justice delayed is justice denied · bortaS bIr jablu'DI', reH QaQqu' nay' · cold blood · pay off old scores · revenge is sweet
Translations (21)
fi kosto on parhaimmillaan kylmänä (revenge should not be rushed) · fr la vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid (revenge should not be rushed) · sv hämnden är ljuv (revenge should not be rushed) · el η εκδίκηση είναι ένα πιάτο που τρώγεται κρύο (revenge should not be rushed) · hu a bosszú hidegen tálalva a legjobb (revenge should not be rushed) · it la vendetta è un piatto che va servito freddo (revenge should not be rushed) · es la venganza es un plato que se sirve frío (revenge should not be rushed) · ko 복수는 차갑게 내어야 제맛인 요리 (revenge should not be rushed) · pt a vingança é um prato que se serve frio (revenge should not be rushed) · de Rache wird am besten kalt serviert (revenge should not be rushed) · vi quân tử trả thù, mười năm chưa muộn (revenge should not be rushed) · eo venĝo estas plado manĝita malvarme (revenge should not be rushed) · ro răzbunarea este un fel de mâncare care este servit la rece (revenge should not be rushed) · de Rache ist süß (revenge should not be rushed) · ca la venjança és un plat que se serveix fred (revenge should not be rushed) · ru Месть - это блюдо, которое подают холодным (revenge should not be rushed) · pl zemsta najlepiej smakuje na zimno (revenge should not be rushed) · id ada hujan ada panas, ada hari boleh balas (revenge should not be rushed) · cmn 君子報仇，十年不晚 /君子报仇 (revenge should not be rushed) · de not idiomatic (revenge should not be rushed) · pt vingança é um prato que se come frio (revenge should not be rushed)
wikipedia: Eugène Sue · wikipedia: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan