- English translation
Clueless yet full of muscle, so he wrecks whatever he touches.
- Literal wording
Unskilled and flaunting his strength.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying pairs two traits that become dangerous together: ignorance of how a job should be done and an eagerness to show off physical power. Here the second word means displaying vigor, not recovering from illness, as a similar common term might suggest. Combined, these flaws produce someone who forces their way through work and ruins it.
It criticizes reliance on raw strength in place of knowledge, practice, and careful handling. Whatever such a person attempts tends to end badly, because effort without understanding breaks what skill would have fixed. The remark is a warning to value competence over muscle.
- When it is used
Said of someone who charges into a task they do not understand, relying on force rather than technique, and damages it. Fits botched repairs, rough work, or confident amateurs. Critical, even insulting, it is usually said about someone, not to them; the masculine singular forms change for women or groups.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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