• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / What does the phrase “caviar to the general” mean and Where does it come from?

What does the phrase “caviar to the general” mean and Where does it come from?

May 21, 2020 by Karen Hill

The phrase “caviar to the general” means something that is an acquired taste; something too racy or too unfamiliar to be acceptable to the general public.

The expression is from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act II, scene 2, in which Hamlet, speaking of a play, says,

“.. . it was never acted . . . the Play I remember pleased not the Million, ’twas Cauiarie to the Generall.”

Related Facts

  • Where does the phrase "to come to the end of one's rope" come from and What does it mean?
  • What does the phrase "come hell or high water" mean and Where does it come from?
  • What Does the Expression "Until the Cows Come Home" Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
  • Where does the phrase "touch and go" come from and What does touch and go mean?
  • Where does the phrase "alpha and omega" come from and What does alpha and omega mean?
  • Where does the phrase "cock and bull story" come from and What does it mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the expression “tit for tat” come from and What does it mean?
Next Post: What does the expresson “the fat is in the fire” mean and Where does it come from? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy