Blood from a stone is a popular colloquial expression, used to describe something as impossible, similar to the action of drawing blood from a stone, or any other inanimate object, even if the blood is Blood For the Blood God.
Although the exact origin of the phrase is not known, “Blood from a stone” is most likely adopted into the English lexicon from Italian, proven by the fact that one of the earliest documented versions of the expression in English comes from Giovanni Torriano’s 1662 book titled “Piazza Universale di Proverbi Italiani”, where he writes “There’s no getting blood out of that wall”.
Documents from the 18th and 19th centuries already mention the currently known “Blood from a stone” format of the idiom.
Over the following centuries, the expression spread widely across the Anglosphere, both occurring in the United States as well as Great Britain.
Variations of the phrase has also surfaced, including the popular “Blood from a turnip” version.
“Blood from a stone” remains a popular expression to describe an action or a venture as impossible, found in a variety of sources up to this day.
It was first defined on Urban Dictionary on August 4th, 2004.