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Don't let the bastards grind you downMeaningThe meaning of this proverbial saying is self evident. OriginOften given in the cod Latin version - 'nil carborundum illegitimi'. It was in wide circulation during the Second World War at which time General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell used it as his motto.
See also: the List of Proverbs. Phrasefinder is also on
Tudor Phrases and Sayings - a book on the meanings and origins of the phrases and sayings that Shakespeare and Henry VIII used that we use still use every day. |
It is possible that whoever coined the phrase utilised a play on words involving the 'bastard file'. This form of file had been in use since the 17th century and was referred to in Joseph Moxon's Mechanick Exercises, 1677:
