The proverbial phrase ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’ expresses the notion that vengeance is more satisfying when exacted some time after the harm that instigated it.

This proverbial saying certainly gets about a bit, both in time and space. It sounds as though it ought to be old, from Shakespeare or the like. Vengeance was a frequent theme of Tudor drama and several authors wrote about it. Francis Bacon coined at least three ‘revenge’ proverbs:

– Revenge is a kind of wild justice.
– A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.
– Revenge triumphs over death