have an axe to grind

have an axe to grind
To have a dispute, resentment, or grudge, sometimes with a disposition to act on that resentment covertly; to have a bias; to take issue with something.

"There is not the least doubt," Gen. Cary said, "that Mr. Cleveland is the most popular man in the United States among the conservative masses of the people in Ohio, and also in Indiana and Michigan. Only the politicians are against him—those who have an axe to grind, a friend to reward, or an enemy to punish."


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  • have an axe to grind — phrase to have an opinion or aim that influences your decisions and that you want other people to accept or consider an angry young man with an axe to grind Thesaurus: to have an opinion or opinionssynonym Main entry: axe * * * ˌhave an ˈaxe to… …   Useful english dictionary

  • have an axe to grind — ► to have a strong opinion about something that you want other people to accept: »Most shareholders have no ax to grind other than keeping company management honest. Main Entry: ↑axe …   Financial and business terms

  • have an axe to grind — ► have an axe to grind have a private reason for doing something. Main Entry: ↑axe …   English terms dictionary

  • have an axe to grind —    If you have an axe to grind, you have personal reasons for becoming involved in something or adopting a particular attitude.     It was decided that the best candidate would be selected by a recruitment agency who had no axe to grind within… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • have an axe to grind — to have a strong opinion about something, which you are often trying to persuade other people is correct. As a novelist, he has no political axe to grind …   New idioms dictionary

  • have an axe to grind — to have an opinion or aim that influences your decisions and that you want other people to accept or consider an angry young man with an axe to grind …   English dictionary

  • have an axe to grind — есть за что бороться In suggesting the sale of the building he had an axe to grind, because it meant a big commission for him …   Idioms and examples

  • have an axe to grind — have a private reason for doing something. → axe …   English new terms dictionary

  • have an axe to grind — Meaning Have an ulterior motive. Origin Benjamin Franklin wrote that a visitor asked him how his grindstone worked. Franklin sharpened the visitor s axe for him when demonstrating, which is apparently what was intended all along …   Meaning and origin of phrases

  • have an axe to grind — (Slang) have a point of contention, have an issue that one wants to discuss …   English contemporary dictionary

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