- English translation
“He has barely two outfits, yet he still thinks he is the best person in town.”
- Literal wording
“A garment on me, a garment on the peg, and I am the finest one in the town!”
- Meaning and lesson
The proverb ridicules a person who has very little yet parades himself as superior to everyone else. A tiny display of comfort or possession becomes, in his own mind, proof of exceptional status.
It is used against vanity, especially when boastful speech is wildly out of proportion to reality. The contrast between two garments and grand claims makes the speaker’s self-importance look comic rather than impressive.
- When it is used
Suited to deflating someone whose claims of superiority far exceed their actual means or accomplishments, by pointing to the gap between a meager wardrobe and a grand self-image. Its mocking edge makes it a pointed remark aimed at vanity, not at modest means themselves.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: “He has barely two outfits, yet he still thinks he is the best person in town.”