femuse

Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater

" ..... a German proverb that dates to 1512. ... Despite its fame in German ...., it doesn't appear in English for several more centuries, until Thomas Carlyle translated it and used it in an 1849 essay on slavery. "

I don't know the German proverb, I take their word for it, and you are welcome to post comments on origin and branches of said expression.

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Now, for an other point of view:

I'm not sure why, but this expression brings me back to a song I always liked, in spite of its being pretty stupid: "Mother's Lament". Supposed to be cockney humor

I see the same headlines for both:

"Wash water compounded with genetic stupidy causes baby demise"

" A mother was washing her baby one night;
......
Oh, your baby has gone down the plug.
The poor little thing was so skinny and thin,
He should have been washed in a jug, in a jug. "

Ithilien Nubifera

I know this post is very old, but I came across this expression and I may be able to give more specific informationabout it. It is indeed of German origin, and it is relatively . It first appears in wrtitting in Thomas Murner's (1475-1537) versified satirical book Narrenbeschwörung (1512) eighty-first chapter of which is entitled "Das kindt mit dem bad vß schitten" (To throw the baby out with the bath water) a treatise on fools who by trying to rid themselves of a bad thing succeed in destroying whatever good there was as well.should you need further refference I can offer you a link to a rather complete explanation, should such a thing exist.

Nana_Brazil

aahahahahaahahahaahaa I LOVED IT !!! I HAVE A BABY HERE AT HOME LOLLLLLLLLL

Narthulua

I've heard that phrase before, but i never had any idea where it came from. Thanks!