- English translation
That rotten neighbor of ours is the worst: our food went down his throat, while his own stayed safely stashed.
- Literal wording
Our wicked neighbor, how vile he is: what was ours, he ate, and what was his, he tucked away.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying gives voice to a household's exasperation with one particular neighbor whose dealings only ever run in his favor. Whatever they had ended up in his mouth, yet his own provisions never came into view, so living beside him meant constant loss and no return.
The neighbor is measured against the mutual exchange that living side by side is expected to involve, and he fails it badly. The judgment targets this one neighbor's greedy, secretive conduct; it does not pass a verdict on neighbors in general or on any group living nearby.
- When it is used
Best presented descriptively, as a recorded grievance against a specific neighbor felt to be greedy and secretive. It voices one speaker's harsh complaint, not a fair or general verdict, and suits discussion of that attitude rather than labeling actual people.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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