- English translation
Flood and fire, sooner than my mother-in-law under my roof.
- Literal wording
The water and the fire, and not my mother-in-law in the house.
- Meaning and lesson
The speaker ranks the dangers of a home and puts the mother-in-law above flood and fire, where "water" means a drowning flood, not ordinary water. The speaker would face either disaster sooner than share the house with this woman. The comparison is deliberately extreme, making the complaint sharp and funny rather than a literal wish for calamity.
The proverb voices strong resistance to having a spouse's mother live in the same home. It is often heard as a wife speaking of her husband's mother, though the wording does not fix the speaker's gender. It airs a stock in-law grievance about authority and interference, not a moral lesson or a fair judgment on mothers-in-law generally.
- When it is used
Fits joking or exasperated talk about living arrangements, especially when a spouse's mother might move in or already shares the home. The exaggeration keeps it light, but it could offend if said where the mother-in-law or her close relatives can hear.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Flood and fire, sooner than my mother-in-law under my roof.