— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | Pratamnak Hill, Jomtien-Pattaya, Thailand | April 2, 2023

Of mountains and mice; Correlation is not causation; The Andrew Tate saga; The best burger patty mix

The mountain roared and gave birth to a mouse

The phrase "the mountain roared and gave birth to a mouse" (also known as "parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus" in Latin) is an idiomatic expression that means a lot of effort or expectation has resulted in an underwhelming or insignificant outcome. The phrase is often used to describe situations where there's a lot of hype, but the end result doesn't live up to it.

This phrase has its origin in ancient Greek and Roman literature. The earliest known version comes from the Greek poet and fabulist Aesop, who lived between 620 and 564 BCE. In one of his fables, titled "The Mountain in Labor," a mountain is said to be in labor, making terrifying noises and causing great commotion. People gather to see what will happen, but the mountain only produces a tiny mouse. The fable serves as a cautionary tale about not expecting too much from a situation or getting overly excited by something that may not deliver on its promises.

The phrase was later popularized by the Roman poet Horace in his work "Ars Poetica" (The Art of Poetry), written around 19 BCE. In this work, Horace uses the Latin version "parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus" to describe the importance of coherence in poetry and how a poem should not start with grand, lofty ideas only to end with trivial conclusions. Since then, the phrase has been adapted into various languages and has become a popular idiom to describe situations where the end result is disappointing or underwhelming, especially after much anticipation or effort.

ChatGPT-4 promt: Discuss the origin of the phrase, "the mountain roared and gave birth to a mouse," and its variations.

Little did the woke Bing AI Chat (that gave a good, smaller answer, but with linked references) know what I was up to. Let's see what happens when I clue it in.