- English translation
Once the cow is down, knives come out from every side.
- Literal wording
When the cow falls, its knives become many.
- Meaning and lesson
The image comes from slaughter: while a cow stands, no one approaches with a blade, but once it has been thrown to the ground, many people gather with knives to cut it up. The fall of the animal invites the crowd of cutters. A variant opens with 'if' rather than 'when', with the same sense.
Applied to people, the saying observes that when someone stumbles into difficulty, detractors and talebearers multiply. Those who once feared that person grow bold, so a moment of weakness or confusion exposes them to a flood of blame and accusation; the knives stand for words, not physical violence.
- When it is used
Use it when someone in trouble is suddenly surrounded by critics or informers who stayed silent while that person was strong. It often carries a rueful tone toward such opportunists.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Once the cow is down, knives come out from every side.