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Ill wind

Posted by Smokey Stover on June 29, 2007

In Reply to: Ill wind posted by Elizabeth on June 29, 2007

: What does it mean: it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good?

Look in the archives under "it's an ill wind." The maxim has been phrased in various ways, most succinctly as "It's an ill wind that blows no good." The meaning of the metaphor is a general one, namely, that it would have to be a bad wind (or bad situation) indeed if it benefited no one. Curiously, The Mavens' Word of the Day (Random @ Word) offers an alternative, the metaphor used for a particular situation in the here and now, as in, "This particular situation benefits no one; it's all bad." I don't think this is a viable interpretation.
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