"Let sleeping dogs lie" is an English

proverb A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...

known at least since the 14th century. This

saying A saying is any concise expression that is especially memorable because of its meaning or style. A saying often shows a wisdom or cultural standard, having different meanings than just the words themselves. Sayings are categorized as follows: * ...

suggests that when an old problem is no longer causing anyone trouble, it might be better left undiscussed: "Possibly he cohabited with Miss Bloggs, but don't mention it in front of his wife, let the sleeping dogs lie", and dormant controversies should not be restarted even if they were never resolved. This intent is similar to the meanings of sayings like "Don't rock the boat", "Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you".

History

An early version in belongs to

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He ...

( AD, "

Troilus and Criseyde ''Troilus and Criseyde'' () is an epic poem by Geoffrey Chaucer which re-tells in Middle English the tragic story of the lovers Troilus and Cressida, Criseyde set against a backdrop of war during the siege of Troy. It was written in ''rhyme ro ...

", III.764) and is predated by earlier , "wake not the sleeping dog" (early 14th century). The Chaucer's character,

Pandarus Pandarus or Pandar (Ancient Greek: Πάνδαρος ''Pándaros'') is a Trojan aristocrat who appears in stories about the Trojan War. In Homer's ''Iliad'' he is portrayed as an energetic and powerful warrior, but in medieval literature he b ...

, when uttering the phrase, is speaking literally, referring to

Criseyde Cressida (; also Criseida, Cresseid or Criseyde) is a character who appears in many Medieval literature, Medieval and Renaissance literature, Renaissance retellings of the story of the Trojan War. She is a Trojan woman, the daughter of Calchas, a ...

's ladies sleeping outside her chamber. The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs traces the following evolution of the saying: * (1546,

John Heywood John Heywood ( – ) was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs. Although he is best known as a playwright, he was also active as a musician and composer, though no musical works survive. A devout Catholic, he ...

in ""); * ''It's best To let a sleeping

mastiff A mastiff is a large and powerful Dog type, type of dog. Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short Coat (dog), coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short (brachycephal ...

rest'' (1681, Samuel Colvil in "The Whigs Supplication"); * ''Take my advice and skas little about him as he does about you. Best to let sleeping dogs lie'' (the first known use of the modern phrasing, 1824,

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

in the "

Redgauntlet ''Redgauntlet'' (1824) is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, one of the Waverley novels, set primarily in Dumfriesshire, southwest Scotland, in 1765, and described by Magnus Magnusson (a point first made by Andrew Lang) as "in a sense, ...

"). In the 19th century the modern version was already popular. Widespread use in the 20th century (see Bryan and Mieder for some literary sources) made the proverb very recognizable, enabling some significant modifications, from "It is my policy to let sleeping senators lie" (

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...

attacking his opponent Senator

S. I. Hayakawa Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa (July 18, 1906 – February 27, 1992) was a Canadian-born American academic and politician of Japanese ancestry. A professor of English, he served as president of San Francisco State University and then as U.S. Senator f ...

who was prone to napping in the chamber) to “let sleeping

dogmas Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...

lie” (

Edmund Gosse Sir Edmund William Gosse (; 21 September 184916 May 1928) was an English poet, author and critic. He was strictly brought up in a small Protestant sect, the Plymouth Brethren, but broke away sharply from that faith. His account of his childhood ...

Other languages

The ("sleeping dog") was an

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...

for a dangerous subject that should not be touched upon since at least the 16th century. The form of expression varies. ("to wake the sleeping dogs") is to create an inconvenience to oneself by attracting attention. dates back to , when made a

wordplay Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phone ...

() on an , the

Chinese Emperor Throughout Chinese history, "Emperor" () was the superlative title held by the monarchs of imperial China's various dynasties. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was the " Son of Heaven", an autocrat with the divine manda ...

. Expression is known in Russian, usually in the form , "don't wake up trouble while it is quiet". In Swedish, the expression is practically the same as in English, but the dog is replaced by a bear: , "don't wake a sleeping bear". The idiom is unfamiliar to the speakers of

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

who mostly fail to recognize its meaning.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{cite book, last = Norrick , first = Neal R. , date = 1985 , title = How Proverbs Mean: Semantic Studies in English Proverbs , series = Trends in Linguistics: Studies and monographs , number = 27 , location = Berlin, New York, Amsterdam , publisher = Mouton Publishers , isbn = 3-11-010196-3 , lccn = 85-4837 English proverbs

History

Other languages

See also

References

Sources