- English translation
When people told the thief his son was stealing, he answered: "Well, he didn't pick that up at the market."
- Literal wording
They said to the thief: "Your son steals." He said: "He did not buy it from the market."
- Meaning and lesson
The saying holds that children take after their parents, and that a son's faults are best explained by looking at his father. When a thief's boy turns out to steal, nobody should be surprised, because the habit was learned or inherited at home rather than acquired from strangers.
The humor rests on the father's answer. He does not deny that his son steals; instead, he implies that the habit came from the family rather than from the marketplace. His reply makes the son's conduct a recognizable inheritance from his father, turning the accusation into an admission of resemblance.
- When it is used
Use it when someone's misconduct or ingrained habit closely resembles that of a parent, especially when the family resemblance is too obvious to deny. The saying can be joking or reproachful; in its original scene the shared trait is theft, so the accusation can be serious.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic; wry and humorous
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: When people told the thief his son was stealing, he answered: "Well, he didn't pick that up at the market."