even a worm will turn
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English
Etymology
First attested in a 1546 collection of proverbs by John Heywood, in the form “Treade a worme on the tayle, and it must turne agayne.” Popularized by William Shakespeare in The Third Part of Henry the Sixth, see quotations.
Proverb
- Even the meekest or most docile people will retaliate or seek revenge if pushed too far.
- c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 154, column 1:
- The ſmalleſt Worme will turne, being troden on, / And Doues will pecke in ſafegard of their Brood.
- The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on, and doves will peck in safeguard of their brood.
Related terms
Further reading
even a worm will turn on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
