- English translation
The greetings are barely done, and already they're poking into your business.
- Literal wording
The greeting is finished; what remains is searching in the sleeves.
- Meaning and lesson
The picture is of visitors who exchange the expected greetings and then, the moment courtesy is satisfied, start searching one's sleeves, where small possessions might be tucked away in the wide sleeves of traditional garments, to see what they can find. The polite welcome turns out to be only the opening step before an inspection.
The searching is figurative, not actual theft or frisking: it describes people eager to uncover another person's private affairs and hidden circumstances. It points to inquisitiveness that intrudes where it has no place, and hints that the friendly greeting served mainly as cover for gathering information.
- When it is used
Suitable when someone moves quickly from pleasantries to probing questions about another person's private life, circumstances, or possessions. It works as a wry, somewhat critical remark about nosy visitors or acquaintances whose interest in hidden details outweighs their courtesy.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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