If someone plans to make hay of something, they’re going to take advantage of it. It comes from the idiom “make hay while the sun shines,” based on the fact that moving hay can be a real pain when it’s dark and damp. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Make Hay”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi.
Hi, who’s this?
This is Patricia from Pine Valley, California.
Well, welcome to the program.
Thank you.
How can we help?
Okay, I was watching a show on television.
Am I allowed to say the show?
Oh, sure.
Okay, it was decoded.
Brad Meltzer, I think his last name was the show,
And they were talking about the Golden Fort Knox.
And they were talking to a retired senator from Kentucky,
And he said that the government would never say whether the gold was there or not because our enemies would make hay of it.
And I thought, that’s strange.
That’s kind of a strange expression because you think making hay would be something positive, but it sure didn’t sound positive.
Yeah, you think you would make gold out of hay, like the old fairy tale.
Like Marvel’s stiltskin.
So make hay out of something.
Yeah, but it was definitely a negative connotation.
He meant that they would take advantage of the situation.
Since they knew where it was located, they would go after it.
I kind of felt like maybe that’s so, but more like if our enemies knew that there was no gold in there,
They would make a big deal out of it and discredit the United States in some way.
Yes, I see, right.
It would undermine the value of the dollar and therefore the American economy.
Exactly.
Yeah, but that’s still taking advantage of the situation.
Yeah.
That’s one of those old agricultural terms.
It goes back to at least, what, Grant, the 16th century?
There was an old proverb that went,
When the sun shineth, make hay, which is to say,
Take time when time cometh, less time steal away.
Or make hay while the sun shines.
Yeah, exactly.
Because wet hay is no fun to bring in.
Oh, I did not know that.
I kind of thought, you know, I’ve heard the expression,
Make hay while the sun shines,
But I thought that was a positive expression.
Yeah, originally that’s positive, and then, again, we have the idea of taking advantage of the situation.
Okay, well, that’s kind of pretty easy.
Yeah.
Patricia, thanks for calling.
Okay, well, thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
Our pleasure.
Sure thing.
Have a great day.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
877-929-9673, or you can send your questions in email to words@waywordradio.org.
