*Origin The origin of the expression, “revenge is a dish best served cold,” comes from French author Eugène Sue and his novel, “Memoirs of Matilda. “The English translation of the work by D. G. Osbourne, published in 1846, has the phrase appear as follows.

“And then revenge is very good eaten cold, as the vulgar say.”

The phrase went through several changes over the centuries before landing on its modern version in the 1980s. There are several uses of the expression in cinema, and the progression of the saying goes as follows.

The Godfather (1972) Don Corleone said, “Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold.”

Star Trek II, The Wrath of Kahn (1982) is the first use of the modern phrase, “Kirk, old friend, *do you know the Klingon proverb, “Revenge is a dish best served cold?”

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