The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (246 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs

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All is GRIST that comes to the mill

Grist
is corn to be ground.
The
is freqently replaced by a possessive pronoun or phrase. Similar to the older
all is FISH that comes to the net
. The metaphorical expression
grist to one's mill
is also found.

1655
Church Hist. Britain
III. iii.
Forein Casuists bring in a bundle of mortal sins, all grist for their own Mill.
1770
Lame Lover
I. 28
Well, let them go on, it brings grist to our mill: for whilst both the sexes stick firm to their honour, we shall never want business.
1896
Bible Characters
I. xii.
Your stumble, your fall, your misfortune .. all is grist to the mill of the mean-minded man.
1943
Moving Finger
ix.
You're failing to allow for the mentality of a Poison Pen—all is grist that comes to their mill.
1967
English Proverbs Explained
17
A similar proverb is
all's grist that comes to the mill
… Use will be made of everything received.
1979
Mudflats of Dead
iii.
All was grist which came to a novelist's mill, and he was still hoping that something, somewhere, would bring him what he still thought of as inspiration.