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What Does It Mean If Someone Has an Axe to Grind?

Mark Wollacott
Mark Wollacott

There are two meanings to the phrase “an axe to grind.” The first meaning is the traditional American one, which means having an ulterior motive or personal reasons, other than the obvious, for doing something. The British meaning is to hold a grudge or a grievance against someone or something.

The term comes from the grinding of axes using a grindstone. Axes were first made of wood and stone, then came to be composed of the best metal available to the person. They are used for splitting wood, felling trees and various other things. They are also a weapon of aggression. Axes are sharpened using a round grindstone that is rotated on an axle using a foot pump.

Benjamin Franklin may have coined the phrase an "axe to grind.".
Benjamin Franklin may have coined the phrase an "axe to grind.".

Origins of the term in both the US and Britain are commonly accepted to have come from America. The British sense of the idiom seems to have been an addition or variation to the American idea. There is little evidence of the notion outside of America before the 19th century.

The origin of having “an axe to grind” comes from one of two men in Philadelphia. Charles Miner wrote a cautionary tale about his childhood. In the tale, printed in 1810, he was duped into grinding an axe for a man using a grindstone. Once Miner finished the task, the man left without even saying "Thank you" or rewarding Miner for his hard work.

Someone who stands up to speak during a local government meeting might have an axe to grind.
Someone who stands up to speak during a local government meeting might have an axe to grind.

Naturally, Miner held a grudge of sorts and used the metaphor to warn others of ulterior motives and self-interest. His tale led to him saying in 1812, "When I see a merchant over polite to his customers…Thinks I, that man has an axe to grind.” The hidden motive for the merchant is profit and the metaphor can be taken to mean someone who is nice in order to get what he wants.

Someone with an axe to grind typically displays behavior that has an ulterior motive.
Someone with an axe to grind typically displays behavior that has an ulterior motive.

The other man who may have coined “an axe to grind” is Benjamin Franklin. In his posthumous autobiography, Franklin gives two similar cautionary tales to Miner. His autobiography was published 20 years earlier than Miner’s. While many believe that Franklin invented the term “an axe to grind,” he never used the term itself.

Both stories may be apocryphal. This means they are drawing on an older tale, maybe from England, of someone asking someone else to grind an axe, but having an ulterior motive for doing so. The difference is that Miner invented a catchy idiom or phrase to capture an older idea. This might explain why when the term was introduced to Britain, it came to mean a grudge or grievance, which might have been the original meaning of the cautionary tale.

Discussion Comments

bear78

@fBoyle-- This idiomatic phrase can be used in different ways. I usually use this phrase when someone suddenly becomes very friendly with me. For example, I have a coworker who doesn't like me and who is usually distant from me. When she suddenly becomes very friendly and starts speaking to me, I know that she has an axe to grind. So I know that she needs my help to do something.

So you can use this idiom to explain why someone is doing something that they are unlikely to. If an individual is resentful of someone or something for example, they may make excuses to bash them. To the outside world, it can be difficult to understand why this person is acting this way. But if you know that they have a past grievance, you can conclude that the individual has an axe to grind -- an issue to settle.

fBoyle

Can someone give me an example with this phrase? Or an example of a situation where it would be suitable? I don't think I understand the idiom meaning.

ddljohn

I think that the American meaning of "to have an axe to grind" makes more sense. Someone who has an axe to grind clearly has a task that he needs done, he doesn't have a grievance. So we can say that someone who uses flattery or other methods to get others to do things, has an axe to grind. He is trying to achieve something that he wouldn't be able to if he openly stated his motive.

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    • Benjamin Franklin may have coined the phrase an "axe to grind.".
      By: Georgios Kollidas
      Benjamin Franklin may have coined the phrase an "axe to grind.".
    • Someone who stands up to speak during a local government meeting might have an axe to grind.
      By: kasto
      Someone who stands up to speak during a local government meeting might have an axe to grind.
    • Someone with an axe to grind typically displays behavior that has an ulterior motive.
      By: Voyagerix
      Someone with an axe to grind typically displays behavior that has an ulterior motive.
    • Someone with "an axe to grind" may be overly aggressive.
      By: Photographee.eu
      Someone with "an axe to grind" may be overly aggressive.
    • Someone might have an axe to grind against a rival athlete.
      By: diego cervo
      Someone might have an axe to grind against a rival athlete.