expression o’ the day:
“a trout in the milk”

“Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk.” – Henry David Thoreau, November 11, 1854

I could not fathom what this might mean—despite Google’s many examples of its use—until this information: During an 1849 dairyman’s strike there was suspicion of milk being watered down. [thanks T]

So, the trout, though circumstantial, is quite suggestive (however, one would suppose most circumstantial evidence is).

This entry was posted on May 20, 2009 and is filed under history/memory, language, quotations.