# modest proposal

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/modest-proposal
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An idea which is especially extreme, unorthodox or distasteful, often put forward in jest.

## Examples

- He made a modest proposal to sell all the furniture to pay rent.
- The politician offered a modest proposal to solve the budget crisis by taxing every single breath taken in public.
- In a satirical essay, the author presented a modest proposal that suggested solving poverty by consuming the children of the poor.

## Origin

From Jonathan Swift's 1729 satire A Modest Proposal, which suggested cannibalism as a solution to Irish poverty.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.