- English translation
Let the dirt clods in the field put up with her; there are plenty of them, and they never wear out.
- Literal wording
Afflicted with her be the clods of the field; they are many, and they do not tire.
- Meaning and lesson
Framed as a mock curse, the speaker wishes, half in jest and half in exasperation, that the hardened clods of mud in a farm field be the ones stuck with a sharp-tongued, combative woman. Only those countless lumps of earth could absorb her endless bickering without giving out.
Underneath the image is a claim that her temper outlasts any human's patience. No single person could bear it, so the burden is handed to something numerous, inert, and tireless. The line aims its disparagement at women specifically, casting a woman's outspokenness as a burden.
- When it is used
Said with exasperation about a woman seen as quarrelsome and abusive in speech. A dismissive, gendered jibe that singles out women and casts a woman’s quarrelsome speech as a burden; it insults rather than advises, is hurtful if said to her, and should not be quoted approvingly.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Let the dirt clods in the field put up with her; there are plenty of them, and they never wear out.