Asked by luhha

Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention".

"Sticks and stones don't break bones," she chanted. Yoyo could tell, though, by the look on her face, it was as if one of those stones the kids had aimed at her daughters had hit her. But she always pretended they were at fault. "What did you do to provoke them? It takes two to tangle, you know.”

What is the original meaning of the underlined idiom in this excerpt?

People should not criticize others if they have similar problems.
Sometimes, it is difficult for a person to make a decision.
Words cannot actually hurt a person like sticks and stones can.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
"Words cannot actually hurt a person like sticks and stones can." The phrase is meant to say physical blows do real harm, while insults and name-calling do not cause physical injury (though they can still hurt emotionally).