- English translation
"This onion is sweeter than honey!" "Fine, there it is; let people look and judge."
- Literal wording
O onion, sweeter than honey! He said: There it is, in the eyes of the people.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying mocks a person who praises something in terms its obvious nature contradicts, boastfully exclaiming that an onion tastes sweeter than honey. The answer, "there it is," is no question: it points at the visible thing and declines to argue, leaving anyone who looks to decide, so the boast falls apart.
It fits moments when a description clashes with facts already open to everyone. Instead of contesting the claim point by point, the speaker gestures at the evidence itself, implying that debate is wasted breath when the truth is plainly on display and others can readily see it for themselves.
- When it is used
Use it when someone keeps insisting on a plainly false description of something everyone can see, such as overpraising poor goods or dressing up an obvious failure. It serves as a dry rebuff that ends the dispute by inviting onlookers to judge for themselves.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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