- English translation
He left and we cheered, only for someone even more insufferable to show up.
- Literal wording
He went away from us, we were glad; there came to us one heavier than him.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying captures a familiar disappointment: someone unpleasant finally goes away, everyone breathes a sigh of relief, and then a newcomer arrives who is even harder to bear. Here "heavy" means tiresome or unwelcome company, not physical weight, and the brief joy only sharpens the irony.
More broadly, it warns against celebrating too early when a nuisance or hardship ends. Despite the masculine pronoun, it applies equally to an unwelcome thing or situation, since whatever fills the empty place may prove more troublesome than what left.
- When it is used
Use it wryly when relief at being rid of a burdensome person, official, or problem proves short-lived because the replacement is worse. It suits complaints about successions, new arrivals, or follow-up troubles, and carries rueful humor rather than open anger.
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- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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