- English translation
A woman who cannot walk brags about her anklet and asks the jeweler to make it heavier.
- Literal wording
Paralyzed woman, and she tells the goldsmith: make the anklet heavy.
- Meaning and lesson
The image is of a woman who cannot walk, so she cannot show off an anklet by moving with it, yet she asks the goldsmith to make it heavier. The mockery lies in that contrast: the ornament exists for display, and her request ignores that her body cannot provide the display.
The saying targets someone who boasts about or clings to something they cannot carry out, so their effort goes to a detail that serves no purpose for them. It names a thing placed where it does not belong. Because it is mocking, it is not a neutral description of anyone's physical condition.
- When it is used
Used to tease someone who takes pride in an accomplishment, possession, or demand that their own situation makes impossible to act on, or who insists on something pointless given their limits. It does not apply to ordinary requests for good craftsmanship.
- Register
- colloquial proverbial speech
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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