A twist of fate












3














I’ve spent the last few days savouring the phrase “A twist of fate”, either there isn’t much written about, or it is swamped by other people using it.



From what seen on the internet it seems to be medieval in origin, but I imagine it’s roots are deeper still.



What are it’s origins, and is a “twist of lemon” a riff on it?










share|improve this question









New contributor




zeristor is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 1




    Would be helpful to include a reference to the source that leads you to believe that the term is medieval in origin -- this seems to make a big difference and I would not have guessed it to be the case, so would be good to include so answers have that to work from.
    – jkf
    9 hours ago
















3














I’ve spent the last few days savouring the phrase “A twist of fate”, either there isn’t much written about, or it is swamped by other people using it.



From what seen on the internet it seems to be medieval in origin, but I imagine it’s roots are deeper still.



What are it’s origins, and is a “twist of lemon” a riff on it?










share|improve this question









New contributor




zeristor is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 1




    Would be helpful to include a reference to the source that leads you to believe that the term is medieval in origin -- this seems to make a big difference and I would not have guessed it to be the case, so would be good to include so answers have that to work from.
    – jkf
    9 hours ago














3












3








3







I’ve spent the last few days savouring the phrase “A twist of fate”, either there isn’t much written about, or it is swamped by other people using it.



From what seen on the internet it seems to be medieval in origin, but I imagine it’s roots are deeper still.



What are it’s origins, and is a “twist of lemon” a riff on it?










share|improve this question









New contributor




zeristor is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I’ve spent the last few days savouring the phrase “A twist of fate”, either there isn’t much written about, or it is swamped by other people using it.



From what seen on the internet it seems to be medieval in origin, but I imagine it’s roots are deeper still.



What are it’s origins, and is a “twist of lemon” a riff on it?







etymology phrases idioms






share|improve this question









New contributor




zeristor is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




zeristor is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 14 hours ago









Lawrence

30.8k561108




30.8k561108






New contributor




zeristor is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 14 hours ago









zeristor

1163




1163




New contributor




zeristor is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





zeristor is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






zeristor is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1




    Would be helpful to include a reference to the source that leads you to believe that the term is medieval in origin -- this seems to make a big difference and I would not have guessed it to be the case, so would be good to include so answers have that to work from.
    – jkf
    9 hours ago














  • 1




    Would be helpful to include a reference to the source that leads you to believe that the term is medieval in origin -- this seems to make a big difference and I would not have guessed it to be the case, so would be good to include so answers have that to work from.
    – jkf
    9 hours ago








1




1




Would be helpful to include a reference to the source that leads you to believe that the term is medieval in origin -- this seems to make a big difference and I would not have guessed it to be the case, so would be good to include so answers have that to work from.
– jkf
9 hours ago




Would be helpful to include a reference to the source that leads you to believe that the term is medieval in origin -- this seems to make a big difference and I would not have guessed it to be the case, so would be good to include so answers have that to work from.
– jkf
9 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















4














The earliest usage example of “twist of fate” I could find so far is from the mid 19th century:



Pierre; Or, The Ambiguities” by Herman Melville - 1852 - ‎




And now we behold this hapless youth all eager to involve himself in such an inextricable twist of Fate, that the three dextrous maids themselves could hardly disentangle him, if once he tie the complicating knots about him and Isabel. Ah, thou ...







share|improve this answer

















  • 5




    the three dextrous maids themselves That's what first occurred to me when reading the question: the Fates, who twist and weave the threads of mortal lives.
    – tmgr
    14 hours ago










  • +1 for this ^ comment. In Greek mythology, the Fates literally "twist" your destiny. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai#Origins
    – Rob Starling
    8 hours ago



















2














You are asking about two different senses of twist. The first refers to some concrete physical item that has been twisted:




twist n

1. Something twisted or formed by twisting, especially:

a. A length of yarn, cord, or thread, especially a strong silk thread used mainly to bind the edges of buttonholes.

b. Tobacco leaves processed into the form of a rope or roll.

c. A loaf of bread or other bakery product made from pieces of dough twisted together.

d. A sliver of citrus peel twisted over or dropped into a beverage for flavoring.




And the second refers to a more abstract convolution, like an unexpected turn in a story or process:





  1. An unexpected change in a process or a departure from a pattern, often producing a distortion or perversion: a twist of fate; a story with a quirky twist.




The Free Dictionary Online



The noun form is attested from the mid-14th century, according to Etymonline:




mid-14c., "flat part of a hinge" (now obsolete), probably from Old English -twist "divided object; fork; rope" (as in mæsttwist "mast rope, stay;" candeltwist "wick"), from Proto-Germanic *twis-, from PIE root *dwo- "two." Original senses suggest "dividing in two" (source also of cognate Old Norse tvistra "to divide, separate," Gothic twis- "in two, asunder," Dutch twist, German zwist "quarrel, discord," though these senses have no equivalent in English), but later ones are of "combining two into one," hence the original sense of the word may be "rope made of two strands."







share|improve this answer





















    Your Answer








    StackExchange.ready(function() {
    var channelOptions = {
    tags: "".split(" "),
    id: "97"
    };
    initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

    StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
    // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
    if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
    StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
    createEditor();
    });
    }
    else {
    createEditor();
    }
    });

    function createEditor() {
    StackExchange.prepareEditor({
    heartbeatType: 'answer',
    autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
    convertImagesToLinks: false,
    noModals: true,
    showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
    reputationToPostImages: null,
    bindNavPrevention: true,
    postfix: "",
    imageUploader: {
    brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
    contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
    allowUrls: true
    },
    noCode: true, onDemand: true,
    discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
    ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
    });


    }
    });






    zeristor is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










    draft saved

    draft discarded


















    StackExchange.ready(
    function () {
    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f479290%2fa-twist-of-fate%23new-answer', 'question_page');
    }
    );

    Post as a guest















    Required, but never shown

























    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes








    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    4














    The earliest usage example of “twist of fate” I could find so far is from the mid 19th century:



    Pierre; Or, The Ambiguities” by Herman Melville - 1852 - ‎




    And now we behold this hapless youth all eager to involve himself in such an inextricable twist of Fate, that the three dextrous maids themselves could hardly disentangle him, if once he tie the complicating knots about him and Isabel. Ah, thou ...







    share|improve this answer

















    • 5




      the three dextrous maids themselves That's what first occurred to me when reading the question: the Fates, who twist and weave the threads of mortal lives.
      – tmgr
      14 hours ago










    • +1 for this ^ comment. In Greek mythology, the Fates literally "twist" your destiny. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai#Origins
      – Rob Starling
      8 hours ago
















    4














    The earliest usage example of “twist of fate” I could find so far is from the mid 19th century:



    Pierre; Or, The Ambiguities” by Herman Melville - 1852 - ‎




    And now we behold this hapless youth all eager to involve himself in such an inextricable twist of Fate, that the three dextrous maids themselves could hardly disentangle him, if once he tie the complicating knots about him and Isabel. Ah, thou ...







    share|improve this answer

















    • 5




      the three dextrous maids themselves That's what first occurred to me when reading the question: the Fates, who twist and weave the threads of mortal lives.
      – tmgr
      14 hours ago










    • +1 for this ^ comment. In Greek mythology, the Fates literally "twist" your destiny. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai#Origins
      – Rob Starling
      8 hours ago














    4












    4








    4






    The earliest usage example of “twist of fate” I could find so far is from the mid 19th century:



    Pierre; Or, The Ambiguities” by Herman Melville - 1852 - ‎




    And now we behold this hapless youth all eager to involve himself in such an inextricable twist of Fate, that the three dextrous maids themselves could hardly disentangle him, if once he tie the complicating knots about him and Isabel. Ah, thou ...







    share|improve this answer












    The earliest usage example of “twist of fate” I could find so far is from the mid 19th century:



    Pierre; Or, The Ambiguities” by Herman Melville - 1852 - ‎




    And now we behold this hapless youth all eager to involve himself in such an inextricable twist of Fate, that the three dextrous maids themselves could hardly disentangle him, if once he tie the complicating knots about him and Isabel. Ah, thou ...








    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered 14 hours ago









    user240918

    24.9k1068149




    24.9k1068149








    • 5




      the three dextrous maids themselves That's what first occurred to me when reading the question: the Fates, who twist and weave the threads of mortal lives.
      – tmgr
      14 hours ago










    • +1 for this ^ comment. In Greek mythology, the Fates literally "twist" your destiny. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai#Origins
      – Rob Starling
      8 hours ago














    • 5




      the three dextrous maids themselves That's what first occurred to me when reading the question: the Fates, who twist and weave the threads of mortal lives.
      – tmgr
      14 hours ago










    • +1 for this ^ comment. In Greek mythology, the Fates literally "twist" your destiny. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai#Origins
      – Rob Starling
      8 hours ago








    5




    5




    the three dextrous maids themselves That's what first occurred to me when reading the question: the Fates, who twist and weave the threads of mortal lives.
    – tmgr
    14 hours ago




    the three dextrous maids themselves That's what first occurred to me when reading the question: the Fates, who twist and weave the threads of mortal lives.
    – tmgr
    14 hours ago












    +1 for this ^ comment. In Greek mythology, the Fates literally "twist" your destiny. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai#Origins
    – Rob Starling
    8 hours ago




    +1 for this ^ comment. In Greek mythology, the Fates literally "twist" your destiny. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai#Origins
    – Rob Starling
    8 hours ago













    2














    You are asking about two different senses of twist. The first refers to some concrete physical item that has been twisted:




    twist n

    1. Something twisted or formed by twisting, especially:

    a. A length of yarn, cord, or thread, especially a strong silk thread used mainly to bind the edges of buttonholes.

    b. Tobacco leaves processed into the form of a rope or roll.

    c. A loaf of bread or other bakery product made from pieces of dough twisted together.

    d. A sliver of citrus peel twisted over or dropped into a beverage for flavoring.




    And the second refers to a more abstract convolution, like an unexpected turn in a story or process:





    1. An unexpected change in a process or a departure from a pattern, often producing a distortion or perversion: a twist of fate; a story with a quirky twist.




    The Free Dictionary Online



    The noun form is attested from the mid-14th century, according to Etymonline:




    mid-14c., "flat part of a hinge" (now obsolete), probably from Old English -twist "divided object; fork; rope" (as in mæsttwist "mast rope, stay;" candeltwist "wick"), from Proto-Germanic *twis-, from PIE root *dwo- "two." Original senses suggest "dividing in two" (source also of cognate Old Norse tvistra "to divide, separate," Gothic twis- "in two, asunder," Dutch twist, German zwist "quarrel, discord," though these senses have no equivalent in English), but later ones are of "combining two into one," hence the original sense of the word may be "rope made of two strands."







    share|improve this answer


























      2














      You are asking about two different senses of twist. The first refers to some concrete physical item that has been twisted:




      twist n

      1. Something twisted or formed by twisting, especially:

      a. A length of yarn, cord, or thread, especially a strong silk thread used mainly to bind the edges of buttonholes.

      b. Tobacco leaves processed into the form of a rope or roll.

      c. A loaf of bread or other bakery product made from pieces of dough twisted together.

      d. A sliver of citrus peel twisted over or dropped into a beverage for flavoring.




      And the second refers to a more abstract convolution, like an unexpected turn in a story or process:





      1. An unexpected change in a process or a departure from a pattern, often producing a distortion or perversion: a twist of fate; a story with a quirky twist.




      The Free Dictionary Online



      The noun form is attested from the mid-14th century, according to Etymonline:




      mid-14c., "flat part of a hinge" (now obsolete), probably from Old English -twist "divided object; fork; rope" (as in mæsttwist "mast rope, stay;" candeltwist "wick"), from Proto-Germanic *twis-, from PIE root *dwo- "two." Original senses suggest "dividing in two" (source also of cognate Old Norse tvistra "to divide, separate," Gothic twis- "in two, asunder," Dutch twist, German zwist "quarrel, discord," though these senses have no equivalent in English), but later ones are of "combining two into one," hence the original sense of the word may be "rope made of two strands."







      share|improve this answer
























        2












        2








        2






        You are asking about two different senses of twist. The first refers to some concrete physical item that has been twisted:




        twist n

        1. Something twisted or formed by twisting, especially:

        a. A length of yarn, cord, or thread, especially a strong silk thread used mainly to bind the edges of buttonholes.

        b. Tobacco leaves processed into the form of a rope or roll.

        c. A loaf of bread or other bakery product made from pieces of dough twisted together.

        d. A sliver of citrus peel twisted over or dropped into a beverage for flavoring.




        And the second refers to a more abstract convolution, like an unexpected turn in a story or process:





        1. An unexpected change in a process or a departure from a pattern, often producing a distortion or perversion: a twist of fate; a story with a quirky twist.




        The Free Dictionary Online



        The noun form is attested from the mid-14th century, according to Etymonline:




        mid-14c., "flat part of a hinge" (now obsolete), probably from Old English -twist "divided object; fork; rope" (as in mæsttwist "mast rope, stay;" candeltwist "wick"), from Proto-Germanic *twis-, from PIE root *dwo- "two." Original senses suggest "dividing in two" (source also of cognate Old Norse tvistra "to divide, separate," Gothic twis- "in two, asunder," Dutch twist, German zwist "quarrel, discord," though these senses have no equivalent in English), but later ones are of "combining two into one," hence the original sense of the word may be "rope made of two strands."







        share|improve this answer












        You are asking about two different senses of twist. The first refers to some concrete physical item that has been twisted:




        twist n

        1. Something twisted or formed by twisting, especially:

        a. A length of yarn, cord, or thread, especially a strong silk thread used mainly to bind the edges of buttonholes.

        b. Tobacco leaves processed into the form of a rope or roll.

        c. A loaf of bread or other bakery product made from pieces of dough twisted together.

        d. A sliver of citrus peel twisted over or dropped into a beverage for flavoring.




        And the second refers to a more abstract convolution, like an unexpected turn in a story or process:





        1. An unexpected change in a process or a departure from a pattern, often producing a distortion or perversion: a twist of fate; a story with a quirky twist.




        The Free Dictionary Online



        The noun form is attested from the mid-14th century, according to Etymonline:




        mid-14c., "flat part of a hinge" (now obsolete), probably from Old English -twist "divided object; fork; rope" (as in mæsttwist "mast rope, stay;" candeltwist "wick"), from Proto-Germanic *twis-, from PIE root *dwo- "two." Original senses suggest "dividing in two" (source also of cognate Old Norse tvistra "to divide, separate," Gothic twis- "in two, asunder," Dutch twist, German zwist "quarrel, discord," though these senses have no equivalent in English), but later ones are of "combining two into one," hence the original sense of the word may be "rope made of two strands."








        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 14 hours ago









        Robusto

        128k28303514




        128k28303514






















            zeristor is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










            draft saved

            draft discarded


















            zeristor is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













            zeristor is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












            zeristor is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
















            Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange!


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid



            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.





            Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.


            Please pay close attention to the following guidance:


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid



            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




            draft saved


            draft discarded














            StackExchange.ready(
            function () {
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f479290%2fa-twist-of-fate%23new-answer', 'question_page');
            }
            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown





















































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown

































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown







            Popular posts from this blog

            Ellipse (mathématiques)

            Quarter-circle Tiles

            Mont Emei