Idiom
pour oil on troubled waters
Meaning
To calm, appease or quiet a person or situation.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He tried to pour oil on troubled waters after the argument.”
“She pours oil on troubled waters whenever her children fight over their toys.”
“The manager stepped in to pour oil on troubled waters when the two coworkers started shouting at each other.”
“When my parents start debating politics at dinner, I usually try to pour oil on troubled waters by changing the subject to our upcoming holiday.”
“The teacher had to pour oil on troubled waters after a misunderstanding during the game made several students feel very frustrated and upset.”
“Recognizing the rising tension in the boardroom, the diplomat spoke calmly, hoping to pour oil on troubled waters before the negotiations collapsed entirely.”
Examples
simple
“He tried to pour oil on troubled waters after the argument.”
“She pours oil on troubled waters whenever her children fight over their toys.”
contextual
“The manager stepped in to pour oil on troubled waters when the two coworkers started shouting at each other.”
“When my parents start debating politics at dinner, I usually try to pour oil on troubled waters by changing the subject to our upcoming holiday.”
“The teacher had to pour oil on troubled waters after a misunderstanding during the game made several students feel very frustrated and upset.”
complex
“Recognizing the rising tension in the boardroom, the diplomat spoke calmly, hoping to pour oil on troubled waters before the negotiations collapsed entirely.”
Origin
The phrase derives from the ancient maritime practice of pouring oil onto sea waves to calm their surface. The physical effect relies on the oil forming a thin layer that prevents the wind from gaining the necessary traction to create crests, a technique documented as a practical method of soothing a turbulent sea long before it transitioned into a metaphor for resolving human disputes.
Key words
Related idioms
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