One man's meat is another man's poison

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on May 13, 2009 at 18:52

In Reply to: One man's meat is another man's poison posted by Mark HH on May 13, 2009 at 08:44:

: My query is regarding the source of the numerous varieties of the following phrase: 'One man's meat is another man's poison'. I know there are whole host of alternatives for the 'meat'/'poison' [subjects] but what is the real source and history of this/these phrases? Or have I not looked far enough back in your records?!

It was coined in the first century BC by the Latin writer Lucretius, in the form "quod ali cibus est aliis fuat acre venenum" (what is food for one man may be bitter poison to others). It was first translated into English in 1604 by the Jacobean playwright Thomas Middleton: One mans meate, is another mans poyson". (VSD)

• One man's meat is another man's poison ESC 13/May/09