Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“I don’t have a particular political axe to grind.”
- Comedian Stephen Colbert on maintaining neutrality on the Colbert Report. (60 Minutes)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
a secret purpose or ulterior motive; a disagreement to settle with someone
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
There’s an old story that Ben Franklin, one of the founders of the United States, had a grindstone, a rock that was used for sharpening blades. One day a man came to Franklin and asked him how the grindstone worked. In order to explain how it worked, Franklin sharpened the man’s axe. Now, do you think the man really wanted to know how the stone worked, or do you just think he wanted his axe sharpened?
So if you show up someplace claiming that you have one purpose, while secretly you have another, you have an axe to grind. Every day on The Colbert Report, Steven Colbert reports the news in a funny way. He says a lot of crazy things and it’s difficult to know what he actually believes. But what he believes isn’t actually the point. He doesn’t have an axe to grind or a particular viewpoint he’s trying to sell. He just wants you to laugh.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“A man came into my shop today and was asking a lot of questions. I’m not sure what he wanted, but he seemed to have an axe to grind.
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“I don’t think she really likes him. I think she has an axe to grind and that’s why she’s dating him. “