Rise to the surface like olive oil

Rising to the top like olive oil means refusing to admit fault in a dispute and skillfully trying to prove oneself right. Sometimes, when playing games, we have friends who break the rules but then rise to the top by saying, “You didn’t see it right!”—this idiom perfectly describes such moments.

^{(Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

Have you ever thought about what happens when you mix olive oil with water? The water sinks to the bottom, while olive oil immediately rises to the surface. This is a rule of nature. Similarly, when people instigate conflicts but then use cunning to portray themselves as innocent, they are likened to olive oil rising to the surface of water.

^{(Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

Suppose a friend takes your pen without permission and breaks it. Then, turning to you, they say, “Your pen was already old anyway!”—in doing so, they are once again rising to the top like olive oil.