Tipped the scales

Small beam scales (so-called “seed scales”), southern Germany, first third of the 19th century, with the tip pointing upwards in the middle

With tip the scales one pictorially represents a decisive factor or a key person in an otherwise balanced situation, especially in a stalemate . The metaphorical phrase wants to make it clear that a small cause can have a big effect in certain situations.

Example: The Südschleswigsche Voters' Association (SSW) is represented in the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament due to a special minority regulation despite the fact that it falls below the five percent threshold . When there was a tie between the major parliamentary groups in a motion for new elections in 1987, the only - and thus free and non-attached - SSW MP, Karl Otto Meyer , was said to tip the scales with his voting behavior .

Origin and criticism

If the masses on a beam balance are approximately equal, it is not possible to tell from the height of the weighing pans which of the masses in the two weighing pans is the larger, but only from the pointer. - However, the metaphor is misleading: The pointer on the scale is only for display purposes, it has no influence on the result of the measurement.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Tip the scales. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . May 10, 2010, archived from the original on October 8, 2010 ; accessed on September 20, 2019 . 

Web links

Wiktionary: to tip the scales  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations