- English translation
You fed me, then threw it in my face. Better I had died than eaten that day.
- Literal wording
You fed me and then mentioned it; would that I had not lived on the day I ate.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying gives voice to the bitterness of someone who accepted help, only to have the helper keep bringing it up. Its closing words are a regretful wish, not a statement of fact: the speaker wishes they had not lived to see the day they ate a gift that later became a source of reproach.
More broadly, it condemns generosity spoiled by boasting or by constant reminders of what is owed. A favor recalled in order to humiliate cancels its own worth, and the injury to the recipient's dignity outweighs the need it once relieved. The recorded verb addresses a woman, perhaps only generically.
- When it is used
Use this when someone keeps reminding you of help you accepted, or when criticizing benefactors who turn favors into leverage. It conveys resentment and wounded pride, so saying it directly to a helper is pointed and likely to offend.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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