ax to grind

Idioms and Phrases

A selfish aim or motive, as in The article criticized the new software, but the author had an ax to grind, as its manufacturer had fired his son . This frequently used idiom comes from a story by Charles Miner, published in 1811, about a boy who was flattered into turning the grindstone for a man sharpening his ax. He worked hard until the school bell rang, whereupon the man, instead of thanking the boy, began to scold him for being late and told him to hurry to school. “Having an ax to grind” then came into figurative use for having a personal motive for some action. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

"Cohen had an ax to grind because he did not appreciate what President Trump did or did not do for him after he became president of the U.S.,"

From Salon

He didn’t come off as a man with an ax to grind, but a small, petty individual who had been taken advantage of by a much more powerful man he all but worshipped.

From Slate

But by turning the star witness into the corroborating witness, prosecutors may lessen the damage of the fact that their star, Cohen, is a deeply flawed witness with a series of criminal convictions in his past, including for perjury, and with an enormous ax to grind against Trump.

From Slate

This statement, by an insider with no ax to grind, unmistakably connects the charged payoffs with the election, a crucial nexus to making the conduct a felony.

From Slate

You change it by creating, by not having an ax to grind.

From Los Angeles Times