- English translation
We braced ourselves for the snake and never gave the scorpion a thought.
- Literal wording
We reckoned the reckoning of the snake, and the scorpion was not on the mind.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying describes a common lapse of vigilance. When people brace themselves against a serious, obvious danger, they can become so absorbed in that defense that a smaller, quieter threat slips past them unnoticed and ends up doing the actual damage.
The snake stands for the large, feared harm, and the scorpion for the lesser one that nobody bothered to imagine. Their feminine grammatical forms do not refer to women. The proverb works both as a rueful admission after being caught off guard and as advice to keep minor risks in view while preparing for major ones.
- When it is used
Use it after an overlooked smaller danger causes harm while everyone was preparing for a larger threat. It can also serve as a rueful reminder to consider less obvious risks rather than concentrating on a single conspicuous one.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: We braced ourselves for the snake and never gave the scorpion a thought.