Ah, “Revenge is sweet”—an expression we’ve heard time and again, offering a devilish, sugary pull to the idea of payback. While it may not be as calorie-filled as an actual dessert, the satisfaction of righting a wrong or one-upping your nemeses can often feel just as gratifying.
🌟 Definition: Revenge is sweet - Retaliation is wonderfully satisfying. Occasionally phrased as vengeance is sweet.
The Origin Story:
This vengeful express has roots deep within ancient cultures. From Homer’s epics that depicted heroes exacting their version of “sweet” payback to Romans like Juvenal, who laced his Satires with the concept, the idea wasn’t merely the stuff of violent retaliation but reflected a subtle art of balancing social scales. Over centuries, notable figures from Ben Jonson to Shakespeare to the mischievous pen of Lord Byron have dabbled in this nectar of retribution.
🤦🏻♂️ Related and Similar Terms:
- An eye for an eye - Evoking the idea of equal retribution, originating from the Code of Hammurabi.
- What goes around, comes around - A karmic perspective on justice.
- Tit for tat - Minor retaliations, more playful in tone.
🖋️ Quotes:
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Shake, Shake, Shake-Down-Spear!
- “If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?” - William Shakespeare
- Translation: Mess with me, and you’ll get it back threefold!
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Ben’s Just Desserts!
- “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
- Known Alternatives: Served with iced tea or gelato.
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Byron’s Burns- """ “Sweet is revenge—especially to women.” — Lord Byron, Don Juan """
- Takeaway: Be careful, ladies hold the recipes for the sweetest retributions.
🧠 Proverbs and Expressions That Get “Even”:
- “Don’t” get mad, get even.
- “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
- “Revenge breeds revenge.”
🎬 Pop Culture Paybacks:
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Movies:
- Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2 - The Bride seeking revenge.
- The Count of Monte Cristo - Literary revenge done exquisitely global.
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Books:
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare - A tragic tale with a vengeful heart.
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - A tempestuous twist of romantic revenge.
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Songs:
- I’ll Get Even With You by LeAnn Rimes - A melodious memory of getting back.
- Bad Blood by Taylor Swift (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - The anthem of retributive justice.
🥸 Inspirational farewell Remember, dear reader, just as sugar can excite the palette and rot the teeth, so too can lingering in revenge coat the heart with bitterness.
With a sarcastic smirk and sweet impression,
Yours Savorously,
L. O. L. O’Clock
Published October 3, 2023
