- English translation
Like a scorpion: one sting and you're in the grave.
- Literal wording
Like the scorpion: its sting, and the grave.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying likens a person to a scorpion whose single strike is pictured, hyperbolically, as leading straight to burial. The point is that this person's capacity to hurt others is extreme and the damage leaves no room for repair; it makes no literal claim about scorpion stings.
In speech, the comparison marks someone as dangerous to provoke or to deal with at all. It stresses how final and devastating their malice can be, rather than describing petty annoyance or minor mischief.
- When it is used
Used when someone is described whose hostility or damage is so serious that crossing them seems to leave no chance of recovery. It works as a sharp warning or bitter complaint, not a light joke. Aimed at a specific person, it is strongly disparaging and may offend.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Like a scorpion: one sting and you're in the grave.