Trout in the Milk
You probably have heard sayings from your older relatives like, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” or “trout in the milk.” Some of you know what they mean, but keep reading if you would like to know more about one of these sayings.
First, I would like to tell you why I am writing about this topic. This summer my father and I were watching some shows and we heard a couple of sayings that we didn’t know what they meant. As a result of our curiosity, we started to look at what they meant. This article is about one of the weirdest sayings I have ever heard.
So now we should get into the meaning and definition of this saying; “Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk” by answering two questions, who came up with it? and what does it mean?
Who came up with it?
“Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk,” wrote Henry David Thoreau in his Journal 11 during November 1850. Henry David Thoreau was an American writer and lived from 1817 to 1862. Henry David Thoreau has written many other sayings or quotes throughout his lifetime. If you want to see some of them go to the link at the bottom of the article.
What does it mean?
First off, if we go back to the 19th century when Trout in the Milk was written, you would understand it better. In the 1800s people would get canisters filled with milk from the farmer. If the milk tasted weird people would suspect the farmer watered the milk down from the weird taste. Sometime later, people poured the milk out and found trout. How did the trout get in the milk? The farmer dunked the canister in his creek to add water. People did not have to see the farmer water the milk down because they had very strong circumstantial evidence. The Trout in the Milk.
To better explain the saying, Trout in the Milk, let’s explain it in a real-life 21st-century experience that happened to me recently. My mom told me one day that we were not allowed to eat the Christmas candies on the dining room table. A few days later, I and my father noticed some of the candies were missing and we suspected my mom. If we can find empty wrappers in the trash can, that would be our very strong circumstantial evidence that my mom has been eating the candies. The wrappers in the trash can are the Trout in the Milk.
Thank you for reading my article and tell me other sayings you would recommend me to explore.
https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191826719.001.0001/q-oro-ed4-00010905
Kelly Mullins • May 18, 2021 at 6:43 pm
Thanks very much for this!
Hunter B. • May 4, 2021 at 8:29 pm
I was playing a fun game on my phone called Tropico 4, and this quote appeared on one of the loading screens.
I had never heard the quote before, and I had no idea what it meant. I was thinking why would someone put a trout inside of milk.
But now, thanks to your article, I know that a trout in the milk is a reference to the farmer who is watering down his milk so that he can make more money.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this article. Even after I searched on the Internet, I couldn’t find a better explanation!
Louis Gustafson • Apr 23, 2021 at 11:12 am
I have never heard this saying, but I will definitely be using it in the future
Missy Schmid • Jan 29, 2021 at 1:05 pm
Nice writing, very interesting! I never knew this saying existed and I now plan to use it in the future.
Chase Sapletal • Jan 29, 2021 at 10:06 am
Thanks for taking the time to read my article. I hope you learned something.
Zoey Paro • Jan 22, 2021 at 9:05 am
This is a very interesting article! I didn’t know that “Trout in milk” is a saying, I’m glad to learn about it and what it means! Great job!
Maddie Lindgren • Jan 22, 2021 at 8:53 am
Woah! I never even knew about the “trout in the milk”. I found it very interesting and I learned about it! Overall this a great article great job!