“Revenge is a dish best served cold”

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What does this mean?

Metaphors and analogies and such aren’t my strong suit

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AuDHD

My pronouns are they/them and he/him

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Feel free to send me a PM!

It means it's better to cool down and get your rational head on after someone has hurt you before you act

Revenge is best or most satisfying when delayed.

Either because you can wait until a particularly vulnerable moment to serve it, or because you can do so in a way that holds symbolic value, or simply because you're not lashing out in a blind rage and can control the optics of how you deliver what you consider to be justice.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

It means that revenge is more satisfying when one has had time to prepare vengeance that is well-planned, long-feared, or unexpected.

Let's say you lose out on a promotion because your rival spread lies about you and exaggerated his own skills.  You just smile, do as you're told, and stay out of trouble.  No one knows you are plotting revenge.



10 years later, the police arrest your rival in his office.  It seems they received an anonymous tip regarding your rival's illegal business dealings, along with enough evidence to press charges.  His arrest leads to the termination of his employment.  You respond to all of this with shock and dismay.



These events also require that you be promoted to his (now former) position.  You then proceed to quietly remove his name from every on-line file relating to successful projects.  Eventually, all the record show only that he once worked there, but did very little to justify his employment.



THAT, young padawan, is an example of "Cold Revenge".

Thank ya’ll

_________________
AuDHD

My pronouns are they/them and he/him

~~~~~~~~~~

Feel free to send me a PM!

I think you have to be emotionally cold to plan and get revenge. If you're too nice you may think it's wrong to get revenge on someone, even if they did something really awful. Like that other saying, "two wrongs don't make a right".

Anyway, it's an "interesting" pun for Mr. Freeze to use, along with all the other puns about coldness and ice and stuff.

There's a similar phrase, "Don't get mad, get even," which I think is more benign. It's less warlike without becoming too goody-goody.

Dont do it in the hot blood of the moment.

Do your revenge in the cold blood of the long term via "cold" calculation. It will work out better. Thats what theyre saying.

And its probably usually true. Israel shoulda thought things through a little more instead of falling into HAMAS's trap by obliterating Gaza (and making more recruits for HAMAS).

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left.

Act in haste Repent at leisure