The expression “to blow hot and cold” means to be inconsistent; to vacillate. We are indebted to one of Aesop’s fables for this meaning.
A satyr, he tells us, came upon a traveler in the winter who was blowing upon his fingers.
“Why do you do that?” asked the satyr. “To warm my fingers,” replied the traveler, “they are nearly frozen.” The satyr led the man to his cave where he poured out a mess of hot pottage and laid it before his guest.
Thereupon the traveler began to blow the smoking dish with all his might. “What! Is it not hot enough?” cried the satyr. “Indeed, yes,” answered the man, “I am trying to cool it.”
“Away with you,” said the alarmed satyr, thrusting the man out of the cave, “I will have no dealings with one who can blow hot and cold from the same mouth.”
Related Posts
-
How Does a Thermos Bottle Keep Hot Things Hot and Cold Things Cold?
To solve the problem, all you have to do is think of heat as a kind of liquid that flows only "downhill" from high temperatures to low temperatures. The thermos bottle acts like…
-
Why Are Hot Peppers Hot and What Is the Natural Function Of the Compounds In Hot Peppers?
The chemicals in hot peppers that cause the burning sensation may protect them from animals so they get eaten by birds. Any plant, whether it is a shrub like a pepper, a tree…
-
Why Does Soup Taste Bland When It’s Cold and Why Does Hot Food Taste Better Than Cold Food?
With cold soup, the fault may not be in the salt but in the absence of heat to volatilize the other flavorings so they ascend to the nose. Flavor is both taste and…
-
Where does the expression “to blow one’s own horn” come from and What does it mean?
The expression "to blow one's own horn" means: To advertise oneself; boast of one's own abilities; brag. In England, the same self-advertising is done by "blowing one's own trumpet," and there is every…
-
Where does the expression “in hot water” come from and What does in hot water mean?
The expression "in hot water" means: In trouble; in a pretty kettle of fish; in a pretty how-de-do; behind the 8-ball; on the spot; up Salt Creek; domestically, in the dog house. When…
-
Where does the expression “to get cold feet” come from and What does “Cold Feet” mean?
The expression "to get cold feet" was by the editors of A Dictionary of Americanisms (1951). But Kenneth McKenzie, professor emeritus of Italian at Princeton, has found a much older instance of its…
