No News is Good News

[moneypennyjl]

What is the origin of this saying and what does it mean?

[pega]

  am not sure where this comes from maybe a war time saying. I have always understood that if you don;t get any letters.--news from someone then all is going well this may have been in the war when if they didn;t get any news then was good as news in those days were if someone wasn't going to return home. hope this is of some help will be interested to see any other answers.

[Quizmonster]

According to The Everyman Dictionary of Quotations and Proverbs it's a proverb of Italian origin. There are several proverbs to the effect that bad news arrives quickly, whilst good news often travels slowly. As a result, no doubt, the absence of news of any sort probably suggests that - when it does come - it's likely to be good.

[Bec6100]

As far as I'm aware this saying is regarding the wives left at homes during the war. If they hadn't heard any bad news they were to assume their husbands were ok but unable to contact them.

[acw]

QM - I'm a little troubled by your logic.  I understand that you've properly researched the answer, and it's interesting to know that there are similar prverbs out there.  What confuses me however, is the idea that no news means that any news coming is likely to be good.  I always understood the phrase to mean: "If we haven't heard anything, that means that things are well, but if a letter arrives, it's likely to contain bad news".  Therefore the point was that a lack of a letter was, in itself, a good thing. 

I agree with all the posts about the war thing.  Only one idea may counter that...  in the time of the Ancient Greeks, they used to send someone back to say the battle had been won (we all know the story of the Marathon).  However, surely, the only news the home city would hear that the battle had been lost, would be the view of enemy troops on the horizon.  There, no news is bad news. 

Hmmmmm.  Just a thought!

[Quizmonster]

I don't doubt, Acw, that the proverb has a particular relevance in wartime situations, but I don't see war as having been, necessarily, the original source of it. There is all sorts of conceivable potential "bad news"...someone's awaited sailing ship returning from the Spice Islands in the 17th century, someone's job progress or health in the absence of a telephone, someone's health or whatever...which may have occasioned it. That's my logic.
Similarly, of course, the absence of a boy bringing a telegram during war was a good sign that one's husband/son/uncle etc was still - thus far - alive.

[acw]

QM - I think we're still not understanding each other! Oh dear!  My difficulty was in understanding the idea because bad news travels quickly, if the news hasn't arrived yet, it must be good. 

Surely it could be bad news that's just happened recently!?

That's all I was asking!  I'm not meaning to be argumentative.  I suppose I just like exploring the idea that many phrases have strange origins and that sometimes the logic breaks down.  :-)

PS - Only the first paragraph of my post address to you, QM, was addressed to you!  The rest was just a general observation for all (including you!) to read! :-)

[jno]

acw not being argumentative? Something wrong here, must be my screen... (:-D

moneypenny, I think it's just that in general only bad news gets reported; if things are going normally, nobody will bother telling you about it, so if you don't hear to the contrary then everything's okay. Don't know anything about the origin though.

[Quizmonster]

I don't think we're really disagreeing, Ma'am, but surely, the phrase is used only when people are already in a "news-awaiting" situation...eg you - in London - know granny's in hospital in Inverness. The next news, therefore, might be "Granny's recovering!" or "Granny's dead!" or whatever. If your relatives in Inverness have not phoned you for several days, you can be pretty sure granny's still hanging in there. The lack of news is, effectively, good news.
If you had no idea that granny was in hospital in the first place, you wouldn't be expecting news of either variety, good or bad, so its speed of delivery would be of little consequence. Cheers

[acw]

Yeah, I get THAT.  But you said that because bad news travels slowly, when news does arrive it will be good.  Which still makes NO sense!  Never mind.  I think I'll have a lie down and not worry about it! :-)

[Quizmonster]

No, I didn't! I said - if you care actually to read what I wrote - "...the absence of news of any sort probably suggests that - when it does come - it's likely to be good."
Probably, suggests and likely...all three words imply (in my view) that I am saying something vastly less definite than you keep claiming. But what the hey! I'll leave it at that.

[Quizmonster]

Oh, I just must add that I didn't say "bad news travels slowly" either...rather the reverse!

[moneypennyjl]

Thanks guys, much appreciated.  Appologies to QM and acw, I didn't mean to get anyone into a heated debate.  All I wanted was some clarification to the proverb.  I think I have all the answers I need.  Thanks again guys. QM and acw please don't fall out.  I don't know if you know each other personally, but even if you don't it's not worth being upset with a stranger, life's to short. Keep smiling everyone ;-)

[acw]

I'm not upset at all moneypennyjl.  :-)  Confused, yes.  upset, well - I've given up on getting upset by jibes on AB now.  Or by misunderstandings.  I'll stop posting in your thread after this!  Promise!

[Quizmonster]

I'm not in the least 'upset' or 'heated', Money. I've been around this and similar sites for far too long to be over-bothered by people who don't understand what I've said. I'm perfectly sure that Acw and I will have similar situations - as well as ones in which we are in total agreement - in future. Cheers