- English translation
Like the bungling market inspector: underweight, down he goes; overweight, down he goes.
- Literal wording
Like the ignorant market inspector: short, throw [him] down; extra, throw [him] down.
- Meaning and lesson
The image is a muhtasib, a market overseer charged with checking weights and fair dealing, who does not know his own job. He cannot tell whether a seller's weight is short or generous, so every case gets one verdict: throw the merchant down and beat him. The goods are not at issue; his only skill is blustering force.
The saying targets a harsh, incompetent person placed in charge. Lacking the judgment to separate wrongdoing from honest conduct, he spreads his cruelty evenly. The cheat and the blameless suffer alike, because punishment replaces discernment and display of power replaces justice.
- When it is used
Use this to criticize someone given authority they lack the skill to exercise, who punishes everyone the same way whatever they did. It fits complaints about indiscriminate penalties, careless enforcement, or officials who show their power instead of judging fairly.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Like the bungling market inspector: underweight, down he goes; overweight, down he goes.