- English translation
The grandee they couldn't stand went and sent them his pointed cap.
- Literal wording
A [Turkish] grandee who did not please [them] dispatched his tall pointed cap.
- Meaning and lesson
This saying targets someone a group already resents, a person who weighs on them both when he is among them and when he is not. Even after he stays away, he leaves some trace of himself behind, so the company never feels free of him.
The image turns on a simple logic: if the man himself was unwelcome, nothing belonging to him will be received any better. Sending his cap to people who cannot bear him is portrayed as sheer foolishness, an act that only renews their irritation.
- When it is used
Apply it to a disliked person who absents himself from a group yet still leaves reminders behind, so those he burdens get no relief, present or away. It openly brands that person as resented and burdensome, so it is an unflattering remark rather than a neutral observation.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: The grandee they couldn't stand went and sent them his pointed cap.