Stem the tide

Posted by Masakim on October 06, 2001

In Reply to: Stem the tide posted by jim dunphy on October 06, 2001

: does anyone know the meaning and origin of this phrase?

Stem the Tide. Arrest Arrest or divert a trend that is running against one's interests. ... Fred A. Paley, writing in 1855 on the tragedies of Ayschylus, said: "Aristophanes evidently saw the trend that was setting in favour of the new candidate for scenic supremacy, and he vainly tried to stem the tide by the barrier of his ridicule."
From The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers

stem the tide
Stop the course of a trend or tendency, as in It is not easy to stem the tide of public opinion. This idiom uses stem in the sense of "stop" or "restrain." [Mid-1800s]
From The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer