- English translation
A man hoisted a goat and farted from the strain, then said, 'Now hand me her kid too.'
- Literal wording
One man lifted a she-goat, then broke wind; he said: 'Bring her daughter.'
- Meaning and lesson
The saying mocks someone whose limits are already showing yet who reaches for an even bigger load. The man can barely manage one goat, and then the strain betrays him physically. Even so, he asks for the goat's young kid as well, as if his struggle were invisible to everyone watching.
It can be aimed at boastful overreach, at greed that ignores obvious weakness, or at stubborn refusal to admit a limit. The humor comes from the gap between the man's embarrassing failure and his confident request. That makes the remark a pointed, often affectionate jab rather than a formal rebuke.
- When it is used
Use this as teasing or sarcastic commentary when someone visibly struggling with a task asks for more of the same burden. Its image of breaking wind is vulgar, so keep it to informal talk among people comfortable with crude humor, never polite or formal company.
- Register
- Colloquial and mildly crude, built on a bodily joke
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: A man hoisted a goat and farted from the strain, then said, 'Now hand me her kid too.'