/ · 1894 Brewer’s · C · Carry Fire in one Hand and Water in the other (To)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
To say one thing and mean another; to flatter, to deceive; to lull suspicion in order the better to work mischief.
“Altera manu fert aquam, altera ignem.
Altera manu fert lapidem, altera panem ostentat.”
Plautus.
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.
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