- English translation
"Why is your meat nothing but gristle and scraps?" "Because I bought it from a butcher I know."
- Literal wording
"What's with your meat, full of scraps?" He said: "From a butcher of acquaintance."
- Meaning and lesson
The saying mocks the belief that knowing a seller personally guarantees fair treatment. Asked why his meat is full of gristle, scraps and offcuts, the buyer answers that it came from a butcher he knows personally. The irony is that the friendship that should have protected him is exactly why he was cheated.
The traditional explanation draws a lesson about trust and commerce: it holds that traders mostly look to their own interest, and that a trusting friend who skips inspecting the goods becomes the easiest customer to cheat. This is the saying's own outlook, not a fair judgment of all merchants.
- When it is used
Use this wryly when someone has been shortchanged by a merchant or tradesperson they trusted as a friend. It warns against relaxing your guard because of personal ties, and suits teasing or rueful comment more than formal accusation.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: "Why is your meat nothing but gristle and scraps?" "Because I bought it from a butcher I know."