- English translation
Hey, kite, there's a falcon right on your tail!
- Literal wording
O kite, the falcon is behind you!
- Meaning and lesson
The saying pictures a kite, a bird of prey that snatches food, flying off pleased with its catch while a falcon closes in from behind. The stronger hunter is about to rob it or wreck its success, so the kite's apparent good fortune is fragile and short-lived.
Applied to people, it describes someone whose work or winnings are threatened by another person nearby. That person is ready to spoil the effort, cause harm, or take away the profit. It reminds the hearer that gains are not safe while such a pursuer is close.
- When it is used
Say it about, or to, someone getting ahead while a rival or spoiler close behind is likely to undo the effort or take the gains. It can warn or be wry. Its feminine 'you' follows the word for kite, not the target's sex.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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