- English translation
When they told the man on the gallows to cover his feet, he replied, 'Scold me about it if I ever return.'
- Literal wording
They said to the hanged man, 'Cover your legs.' He said, 'If I come back, then reproach me.'
- Meaning and lesson
A person who knows they have nothing left to lose stops caring about propriety. When the gravest outcome is already certain, warnings about modesty or reputation feel meaningless, and the doomed man answers such concerns with bitter irony: blame can only matter to someone who will still be around.
More broadly, the saying observes that despair loosens restraint. It explains such behavior rather than endorsing it: people pushed beyond hope may act unseemly, not from defiance but because the usual reasons for good conduct, such as future judgment or lasting shame, have vanished.
- When it is used
Use it wryly about someone in a hopeless position who ignores manners or criticism, expecting no consequences. Its gallows image is grim, so it can sound harsh or flippant toward someone in real distress; it suits informal observation, not comfort or solemn occasions.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: When they told the man on the gallows to cover his feet, he replied, 'Scold me about it if I ever return.'