meaning - What does “Turn a lemon(s) into lemonade” exactly mean?


In association with my question about possibility of using Etch-a-Sketch as a verb, I found the expression “turn a lemon into lemonade” in the related article of Five Star. It says:



Etch-a-Sketch had a dilemma as it faced one of three choices:



  1. Say and do nothing, and wait for the story to go away.

  2. Object to the use of the Etch-a-Sketch brand in such contexts, and publicly reinforce its core brand values.

  3. Seize an opportunity to turn a potential lemon into lemonade.


Happily, the folks at Etch-a-Sketch chose the last option.



As I was interested in the expression “turn a lemon into lemonade,” I googled, and found the following example of usage:


“How to turn lemons into lemonade. Bob Chambers. Most of us are so busy building our business that we often forget some of the simple principles that will turn our business into a powerhouse.”


We have Japanese sayings 災いを転じて福となす or 奇貨とするmeaning “turn disaster into fortunateness.“ But “turn lemons into lemonade” seems to imply to make an ordinary thing into a special or superior thing. Am I right? Is this a popular English phrase?



Answer



This is a rather popular, commonly used phrase (in many different variations).


No matter the exact wording, in general you want to keep in mind two things:



  1. Lemons are sour.

  2. Lemonade is sweet.


To make lemonade out of lemons is to take something that is not so great and turn it into something good.


A very common phrase is as follows: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."


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