- English translation
Go on, take the sandal off a barefoot man.
- Literal wording
Take from the barefoot one his sandal.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying highlights the absurdity of trying to extract something from a person who has nothing. A barefoot man cannot surrender a sandal he never had, so the instruction is ironic: it names an impossible demand, not a real act of taking.
In practice it works as a wry retort. It suggests that pressing, suing, or squeezing the destitute is pointless, and it gently mocks whoever expects a return from such a source, rather than urging anyone to rob the poor.
- When it is used
Use it mockingly when someone tries to collect money, compensation, or goods from a person who plainly has nothing. It fits a creditor chasing a penniless debtor. It mocks the futile demand, never the poor.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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