Truism

As a truism or platitude one is commonplace or generally known information referred to, especially if you want to be expressed, that as put forward interesting finding no particular substantive value does not constitute news or brings no increase in knowledge.

The term alludes to the widespread use of rushes (grasses) and their simple, knotless shape. So there was already the phrase in Latin : nodum in scirpo quaerere ("look for stem knots also on the rush") when someone wanted to tinker with a simple statement.

The parable can already be found in ancient Greek , where there is an origin saying : King Midas had forbidden his barber to spread the word that he had grown donkey ears that he hid under his hair. But the barber couldn't keep the secret to himself and called it into a hole in the ground. But the rushes that grew there continued to whisper it (as an observation of the faint rustling of blowing rushes) until all the rushes spoke of it and everyone knew it - it had become the "truism".

literature

• The book of idioms: "Binsenweisheit", p. 56, Pabel-Moewig Verlag , 1999, ISBN 3811812270
• Adolf Kussmaul : childhood memories of an old doctor. 11-13 Edition, Stuttgart 1922, p. 89.
• Lutz Röhrich: Lexicon of proverbial sayings. Herder Verlag , 2001, ISBN 3451052008

Web links

Wiktionary: truism  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dr. Word: I'm the monkey - news from the world of idioms , truism
2. ↑ Duden: truism , accessed on August 8, 2014.
3. ↑ Zeno: Kussmaul, Adolf, Jugenderinnerungen einer Old Doctor, 3. Burschenleben, Der Fuchs. Retrieved October 13, 2018 .