- English translation
Letting an animal roam unattended is acting as though you do not care what you would receive for its loss.
- Literal wording
The loose, neglected animal is one whose compensation has been abandoned.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying reproaches carelessness that exposes something valuable to loss. When a person neglects ordinary safeguards, the harm that follows is presented as the likely outcome of their own failure to take care.
It further suggests that such neglect looks like indifference to the value of what may be lost. It can be said when someone fails to protect possessions, obligations, or other matters that call for timely attention.
- When it is used
Use it as a warning against leaving valuables, duties, or other important matters without sensible protection. It emphasizes acting before neglect leads to loss, rather than treating the consequences as unimportant.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Letting an animal roam unattended is acting as though you do not care what you would receive for its loss.