You Can't

Posted by ESC on March 26, 2000

In Reply to: You Can't Get Blood Out Of A Stone. posted by Ron Chadwick on March 25, 2000

: "You Can't get blood out of a stone"
: I am trying to find the orgin of this phrase, Or any information about it(meaning, who said it etc....) If anyone can Help I would be very grateful.
: Thank you
: Ron
: e-mail Rlc2734@aol.com

"You can't get blood from a stone. You can't get something from someone who doesn't have it. The proverb has been traced back to G. Torriano's 'Common Place of Italian Proverbs' . First attested in the United States in the 'Letters from William Cobbett to Edward Thornton' . The proverb is found in varying forms: You can't get blood out of a stone; You can't get blood from a rock; You can't squeeze blood from a stone; You can't get blood out of a turnip, etc...." From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

• You Can't susan 03/29/00