Where did the expression shoot the messenger come from

It originated around 1860 in the Wild West of the United States. Oscar Wilde, during his 1883 tour of the United States, saw this saying on a notice in a Leadville, Colorado, saloon. This phrase is sometimes attributed to Mark Twain, but neither Wilde nor Twain ever claimed authorship.

Where does the term don't shoot the messenger come from?

Shooting the messenger means blaming the bearer of bad news for being responsible for that bad news. In ancient times, messengers were sent to impart official news, and these messengers sometimes incurred the wrath of the one receiving the bad news.

What's the meaning of shoot the messenger?

to unfairly blame a person who has given you bad news or information, when you should instead be angry with the people who are really responsible for the situation.

Why do people always shoot the messenger?

Overall, the research team found that the desire to shoot the messenger comes from our inherent need to make sense of bad or unpredictable situations. People also can't help but try to ascribe ill motives to such messengers or see them as incompetent, even if that makes little logical sense.

What does it mean when they say don't shoot the messenger?

idiom saying. said to warn someone not to be mad at the person who tells them something bad.