Meaning
What does Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold mean?
Revenge is a dish best served cold is an expression that is meant to support the idea that vengeance can be best delivered if it is planned, unexpected, or cold-blooded.
The expression also suggests that taking revenge the proper way is also more satisfying than acting immediately over an injustice.
Origin
What's the origin of Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold?
The original version of the expression was born from the pen of a 19th century French author Eugène Sue. He used an early version of the term in his novel titled Memoirs of Matilda. The English-translated version features it as the following: “And then revenge is very good eaten cold, as the vulgar say.”
The expression then saw many changes before reaching its current and most well-recognized version in the 1980s, which is the title giver for this article as well.
Spread & Usage
How did Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold spread?
The term was featured initially in its current form in the 1982 sci-fi movie Star Trek II, The Wrath of Kahn.
Later throughout the years, the expression could be seen and heard in various other movies and series.
