proverb · Words worth keeping
A hundred-year-old revenge still has its baby teeth.
A hundred-year-old revenge still has its baby teeth.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A century-old revenge still having baby teeth pictures a retaliatory grievance retaining youthful force despite its age. The contrast emphasises persistence.
What the words are saying
The striking age reversal is an image rather than a literal lifespan or biological claim. The supplied gloss stresses waiting for a moment, but the wording also makes the grievance seem not to have grown old. Its precise traditional context remains uncertain, and the image is not advice for carrying out revenge.
Everyday example
A reader identifies the contrast between an old grievance and its pictured continuing vitality without adopting it as a plan.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified reading of persistence with uncertain context explicit.
What it does not mean
No literal duration, biological effect or inevitable future retaliation is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 910; PDF page 127
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.