Question

Ax to Grind something to gain for yourself for a selfish reason; flattery or trickery used to get a favor from another person

Accepted Answer

Crystal always flatters me, but I think she has an ax to grind. In the early 1800s a man wrote a story in a newspaper about how, when he was a boy, a man used flattery to trick him into sharpening the man's ax. The boy turned the heavy grindstone while the man held his ax against it because the man said the boy was a great ax grinder, smart and strong. The man didn't pay the boy or even thank him. Instead he scolded him for wasting time and being late for school. After that, people started using the expression "have an ax to grind" when they meant that anyone was seeking a particular goal solely for himself by flattering or tricking another person. Sometimes people say that they don't have an ax to grind to show that they are honest and aren't trying to trick you into doing anything for them.

Idiom	Ax to Grind
Example	Crystal always flatters me, but I think she has an ax to grind.
Meaning	something to gain for yourself for a selfish reason; flattery or trickery used to get a favor from another person
Origin	In the early 1800s a man wrote a story in a newspaper about how, when he was a boy, a man used flattery to trick him into sharpening the man's ax. The boy turned the heavy grindstone while the man held his ax against it because the man said the boy was a great ax grinder, smart and strong. The man didn't pay the boy or even thank him. Instead he scolded him for wasting time and being late for school. After that, people started using the expression "have an ax to grind" when they meant that anyone was seeking a particular goal solely for himself by flattering or tricking another person. Sometimes people say that they don't have an ax to grind to show that they are honest and aren't trying to trick you into doing anything for them.

Ax Man Grind Boy Flattery Trick People Crystal