grist for the mill

Idioms  

1. Something that can be used to advantage, as in These seemingly useless data will be grist for the mill when he lodges a complaint. This expression alludes to grist, the amount of grain that can be ground at one time. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

The book, after all, was about blindness, so everything was grist for the mill: the struggles and heartaches, as well as the companionship and connection that came from being with other blind people.

From New York Times

She wants cash, and she doesn’t care about the ethics of swindling her father — just as he doesn’t care about stealing from and blackmailing the elderly women drawn to his heartthrob act, and just as Seidl himself doesn’t care about using others as grist for the mill of his art practice.

From New York Times

And even the peculiar prejudices of the island became grist for the mill once Booster read Austen’s novel and realized that her story of social stratification would map neatly onto his own experiences.

From New York Times

He’s given us enough grist for the mill.”

From Seattle Times

Any new pictures that feature you, whether a simple Instagram shot or a photo tagged on a friend’s Facebook page, are potentially grist for the mill of a globe-spanning facial recognition system.

From The Verge