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<font size="5">An Ax to Grind</font>

<font face="Arial"><em>An ax to grind</em> means <em>you have an unresolved problem with someone</em></font>

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<font face="Arial">If you have <em>an ax to grind</em> with someone, you have a problem with them, or a complaint against them, which you'd like to discuss. </font>

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<font face="Arial">For example:</font>

<font face="Arial">I have <em>an ax to grind</em> with Mitch. He owes me money and he's been avoiding me.</font>

<font face="Arial"><em class="western">Note: </em>1. The spelling "ax", as opposed to "axe", is the more common spelling in American English. 2. Another idiom with a similar meaning is "to have a bone to pick" with someone. </font>

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<font face="Arial">Origin:</font>

<font face="Arial">Benjamin Franklin published a lot of stories, one of which he was the central character. Franklin was approached my a stranger who stopped to admire the family grindstone. He asked to be shown how it worked and offered Ben Franklin an ax to demonstrate. Once the ax was sharp the stranger walked off laughing. Today “having an ax to grind” means that someone has an unsettled argument or matter.

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