- English translation
Someone asked Juha, 'Where's your wife?' 'Off grinding for hire,' he said. 'And your own flour?' 'I paid to have it done.' 'Then why didn't you just let your wife grind it?'
- Literal wording
They said: 'O Juha, where is your wife?' He said: 'She is grinding for hire.' 'And your flour?' He said: 'I hired for it.' They said: 'You should have let your wife grind it.'
- Meaning and lesson
In this little exchange, Juha, the familiar figure of fun cast as the fool, reports that his wife is grinding for hire, yet he has paid for his own flour to be ground. His questioners point out the plain fix he missed: his wife could simply have done that grinding herself.
The saying is applied to a person who handles his affairs in a confused, haphazard manner. Juha's arrangement serves as a comic picture of someone stumbling through his business without sense or order, missing the straightforward option.
- When it is used
Apply it to someone whose affairs are tangled and poorly thought out, especially when an obvious, simpler arrangement sits right in front of them. Telling the short exchange aloud lets the final reply land as a gentle jab at the person's confusion.
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- Colloquial humorous anecdote