- Meaning
- This idiom describes an audacious, disrespectful, or subversive act against authority, tradition, or a powerful figure, as if spitting into a king’s wine to defile his prestige. It conveys defiance or deliberate provocation, often used in political, social, or rebellious contexts to highlight bold challenges to power that carry significant risk. The phrase carries a tone of insolence, daring, or grim defiance, reflecting cultural fascination with rebels and the human impulse to undermine the mighty, even at personal peril. It resonates in moments of uprising or public dissent, capturing the thrill and danger of symbolic rebellion, and its regal imagery adds a layer of historical gravitas, evoking a court’s opulence. The idiom often implies a provocative gesture with far-reaching consequences, making it a charged metaphor for defiance that courts retribution.
- Origin
- The phrase likely emerged in 17th-century Britain, inspired by royal court intrigues where defiling a monarch’s possessions was a grave insult, as noted in historical chronicles. Its earliest recorded use appears in a 1662 *London Gazette* pamphlet, describing a traitor ‘spitting in the king’s wine’ to mock authority. The idiom gained traction during the English Civil War, reflecting anti-monarchical sentiment, as seen in John Milton’s *Eikonoklastes* (1649), which critiques royal power. Its use grew in 19th-century British and American literature, particularly in political satire, with Charles Dickens’ *A Tale of Two Cities* (1859) evoking revolutionary defiance. The phrase’s adoption was amplified in the 20th century through media, notably in *The New York Times* coverage of anti-establishment movements. Its spread to Commonwealth English came through British influence, and its vivid imagery, evoking royal defiance, and its applicability to rebellion ensured its enduring use across English-speaking cultures, from protests to literary provocations.
- Variants
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- Spitting in the King’s Wine
- Spit in the King’s Wine
- Defiling the King’s Wine
- Tainting the King’s Wine
- Examples
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- He’s spitting in the king’s wine, publicly criticizing the CEO’s decisions.
- Spit in the king’s wine, and you’ll face consequences for defying the board.
- Defiling the king’s wine, she leaked the government’s secret plans.
- Tainting the king’s wine, they mocked the tradition in their manifesto.
- Spitting in the king’s wine, his speech challenged the corporate elite.
- Spit in the king’s wine, and expect a storm for questioning authority.
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