To what exactly does the "carrot-and-stick" metaphor refer?
Asked by
Strauss (
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June 16th, 2010
For most of my life, when I heard the reference to the carrot/stick, I would visualize a beast of burden (horse, mule, ox, etc.) who does not wish to pull the load (cart, wagon, etc), being enticed by the promise of a carrot as a reward, as cited in this article. It seems that over the last couple decades (subjectively speaking), there has been a drift of meaning of the metaphor, referring to the carrot as the reward and the stick as punishment, as per the Wikipedia article. Which of these is more accurate?
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7 Answers
I never questioned this and your first link does not work, so I don’t know what it says. But the carrot is dangled on a string in front of the mule via a long stick to make it walk, always kept out of his reach. It is not a reward because he never gets it, it’s an enticement. The stick is kept in reserve for the mule who won’t walk for the carrot.
All figurative speech starts as a concrete example. Therefore they’re both accurate, like shutting the barn door after the horse has escaped.
Your link does not work. As @gailcalled said, both are accurate.
I always thought of it as an enticement, as @Trillian said.
I never thought of the stick being used as punishment.
Here’s the link.
Talk about your enticement with no reward! LOL!
I have been hearing this expression for decades and always though the carrot was in front, as a lure, and the stick behind, as a prompt, the idea being that if one didn’t work, the other would.
Jeruba has it correctl.
I assume you’ve heard the expression “beat him like a rented mule”. Ideally, with a mule which belongs to you, it’s better if he’ll respond to the carrot. But mules have a reputation for stubborness, so the stick is held in reserve.
But in the case of a rented mule, perhaps the carrot is dispensed with and just the stick is used.
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