- English translation
Every word has a reply waiting for it.
- Literal wording
Every word, and to it there is a reply.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying holds that nothing said is final or beyond response. Whatever is spoken, whether a question or a statement, has some fitting reply that can be set against it, so no utterance closes the matter on its own.
Two shades of meaning sit together here, and context decides which applies. One is that every question has its answer. The other is that every remark can be met with a reply, which may be a calm answer as well as a sharp retort to a challenge or jab.
- When it is used
Suitable when someone insists a remark leaves no room for response, or when a speaker wants to signal that a comment will not go unanswered. It can also be used to reassure someone puzzling over a question that an answer exists.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Every word has a reply waiting for it.