Say What? Every man has his price / A golden key can open any door
In this week's Say What? we'll be looking at two expressions that are related to either, depending on how you look at it, things that money can buy, or whether people's integrity is real. I'll be using the characters from Person of Interest in my examples.
Every man has his price
Our first saying definitely is as true today as when it was first used, particularly when it seems that large sums of money are involved. The implication in the saying is very obvious: any man, no matter who seemingly principled, can eventually be persuaded to go set aside those principles with a large enough payment. That price may not necessarily be monetary in nature, but there is something for which everyone will compromise their principles. A modern example of this is in the film Indecent Proposal from 1993 where a young couple who are struggling financially encounter a billionaire who offers to give them $1 million if the wife will sleep with him. The couple eventually agree to his offer but, because they've compromised their relationship in this way, find that things go from bad to worse for them.
While the expression may date back to Roman times, the first recorded usage in English is in W. Wyndham's Bee from 1734:
'It is an old Maxim, that every Man has his Price,' if you can but come up to it.
Given the fact that most people are familiar with the expression and its meaning, using it in your own work shouldn't be too difficult. For example:
John snapped photographs of Simmons dropping a bulging envelope into the hands of another policeman. Lowering the camera in disgust, he activated his earpiece. "Doesn't anyone have integrity any more, Finch?"
Finch's voice came back quickly. "You should appreciate it, Mr. Reese, since we make payments of our own. As the saying goes, 'every man has his price.'"
A golden key can open any door
Unlike our previous expression, which is very blunt about just how readily people's opinions can be purchased, this expression communicates something very similar in a somewhat less direct manner -- money, the golden key, can be used to open any door. The first recorded use in English is from Lyly's Euphues & his England from 1580:
Who is so ignorant that knoweth not, gold be a key for every locke, chieflye with his Ladye.
By 1945, Flora Thompson used it in this way in her memoir Lark Rise to Candleford:
Their better-educated neighbours ... did not call on the newly rich family. That was before the days when a golden key could open any door.
Even though this expression is very likely less well known than our first one, the meanings are similar so it shouldn't be too difficult to work it into your own writing. For example:
While John and Fusco were discussing how to access the building without causing a scene, Root walked up and handed a wad of notes to the security guard, who in return passed her an access badge. Turning to the two men she said, "A golden key can open any door. Now come along boys, we have work to do."
In summary, the message that we can take from these expressions is that bribery and corruption are fairly rife in this world, and if you have money then it can get you whatever you want. Some might counter that that sort of pride would surely lead to a fall, but I think that's a discussion for another week.
Sources
Simpson, John and Speake, Jennifer, A Dictionary of Proverbs, Oxford University Press, 2008.
Taggert, Caroline, An Apple a Day, Readers Digest, 2011.
Every man has his price
Our first saying definitely is as true today as when it was first used, particularly when it seems that large sums of money are involved. The implication in the saying is very obvious: any man, no matter who seemingly principled, can eventually be persuaded to go set aside those principles with a large enough payment. That price may not necessarily be monetary in nature, but there is something for which everyone will compromise their principles. A modern example of this is in the film Indecent Proposal from 1993 where a young couple who are struggling financially encounter a billionaire who offers to give them $1 million if the wife will sleep with him. The couple eventually agree to his offer but, because they've compromised their relationship in this way, find that things go from bad to worse for them.
While the expression may date back to Roman times, the first recorded usage in English is in W. Wyndham's Bee from 1734:
'It is an old Maxim, that every Man has his Price,' if you can but come up to it.
Given the fact that most people are familiar with the expression and its meaning, using it in your own work shouldn't be too difficult. For example:
John snapped photographs of Simmons dropping a bulging envelope into the hands of another policeman. Lowering the camera in disgust, he activated his earpiece. "Doesn't anyone have integrity any more, Finch?"
Finch's voice came back quickly. "You should appreciate it, Mr. Reese, since we make payments of our own. As the saying goes, 'every man has his price.'"
A golden key can open any door
Unlike our previous expression, which is very blunt about just how readily people's opinions can be purchased, this expression communicates something very similar in a somewhat less direct manner -- money, the golden key, can be used to open any door. The first recorded use in English is from Lyly's Euphues & his England from 1580:
Who is so ignorant that knoweth not, gold be a key for every locke, chieflye with his Ladye.
By 1945, Flora Thompson used it in this way in her memoir Lark Rise to Candleford:
Their better-educated neighbours ... did not call on the newly rich family. That was before the days when a golden key could open any door.
Even though this expression is very likely less well known than our first one, the meanings are similar so it shouldn't be too difficult to work it into your own writing. For example:
While John and Fusco were discussing how to access the building without causing a scene, Root walked up and handed a wad of notes to the security guard, who in return passed her an access badge. Turning to the two men she said, "A golden key can open any door. Now come along boys, we have work to do."
In summary, the message that we can take from these expressions is that bribery and corruption are fairly rife in this world, and if you have money then it can get you whatever you want. Some might counter that that sort of pride would surely lead to a fall, but I think that's a discussion for another week.
Sources
Simpson, John and Speake, Jennifer, A Dictionary of Proverbs, Oxford University Press, 2008.
Taggert, Caroline, An Apple a Day, Readers Digest, 2011.