- English translation
They thrashed the garlic vendor, and it was the coriander vendor who messed himself.
- Literal wording
They beat the garlic seller; the coriander seller soiled himself.
- Meaning and lesson
The picture is of two market vendors: blows rain down on the one selling garlic, yet the one selling coriander is the one who loses control of his bowels. The image is deliberately crude and bodily. The person struck and the person who suffers the result are not the same.
In practice, the saying describes harm or unpleasantness aimed at one party whose effects end up falling on someone else, rather than staying with the person it was directed at.
- When it is used
Use it when trouble directed at one person spills over onto another, for instance when a punishment, attack or misfortune meant for someone ends up hurting a bystander. It draws attention to the consequence landing in the wrong place.
- Register
- Colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: They thrashed the garlic vendor, and it was the coriander vendor who messed himself.