The Midas touch
The Midas touch means an unusual ability to make money or turn ventures into successes; it comes from the story of King Midas, whose touch turned things to gold. Modern use usually sounds admiring, though the old story warns that wealth can become a curse.
Where it comes from
The king's golden gift
The story appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Midas receives the power to turn whatever he touches into gold, then discovers that his reward makes ordinary life impossible.
In Metamorphoses, Midas tries to eat, but his food turns to gold. Unable to satisfy his hunger or thirst, he begs to lose the gift.
In Metamorphoses by Ovid
Success, with a warning behind it
Today, the phrase usually praises someone whose businesses or projects keep succeeding. The story behind it can also suggest that chasing wealth has hidden costs.
In A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, Hawthorne makes the cost painfully personal: Midas turns his daughter Marygold into gold when he kisses her. His wonderful power leaves him desperate to undo what he has done.
In A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne
How to use The Midas touch
- Use it for someone with a repeated record of success.
- Make clear whether the success concerns money or another kind of achievement.
- Add context if you mean to suggest that success carries a cost.
Is having the Midas touch a good thing?
In everyday use, it is usually a compliment. It suggests that someone's ventures reliably prosper. In the original story, however, the gift becomes a disaster because Midas cannot eat or drink, so the phrase can also carry a warning about wanting too much wealth.
Did Midas turn his daughter into gold in the original story?
That scene appears in Nathaniel Hawthorne's retelling, not in Ovid's account. In A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, Midas turns Marygold into gold with a kiss. In Metamorphoses, his inability to eat or drink reveals the terrible cost of his wish.
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