Chrysti The Wordsmith: Blood Is Thicker than Water

Greetings and welcome to Christie the wordsmith. When we use the expression blood is thicker than water we're not literally comparing the viscosity of the two fluids. Blood is thicker than water is an English language idiom shorthand for the notion that family relationships are more enduring than say friendships or business associations. The sentiment blood is thicker than water appeared in a collection of English proverbs in 69 70. So all the properties of blood and water have for centuries provided metaphor for the nature of relationships that blood leaves a stain when spilled suggests permanence whereas water can evaporate without leaving a mark. We've also traditionally cherished the belief that blood is literally the substance shared amongst family members. This is reflected in statements like she's my blood relative or he's got the blood of a wrist a Kratz flowing in his veins. Recent scientific investigations however suggest that DNA and not blood is the stuff that relatives have in common. Does that mean we'll soon be saying

DNA is thicker than water or he's my DNA relative. No not likely as linguistically playful as we American English speakers are were extremely reluctant to alter our beloved idiomatic formulas. I'm Christi the wordsmith special thanks to Brody Kates studio engineer for the series and Dr. Phil games consulting editor. Dave or Borse Christie the wordsmith a sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry Web dot com.