Apr 12, 2013 18:46
11 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
cobbler's children [always] go unshod
English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
I want to use this proverb to build some copy on;
dear colleagues, my question is this:
how readily is the meaning understood by an average [educated] native speaker?
Would the word @cobbler@ be misleading (as it was for me at first) ? Should I perhaps use a more modern form like @shoemaker's children have the worst shoes go barefoot@?
TIA, danya
dear colleagues, my question is this:
how readily is the meaning understood by an average [educated] native speaker?
Would the word @cobbler@ be misleading (as it was for me at first) ? Should I perhaps use a more modern form like @shoemaker's children have the worst shoes go barefoot@?
TIA, danya
Responses
4 +8 | I think it's OK | Lindsay Spratt |
Responses
+8
3 mins
Selected
I think it's OK
I am British/Irish and although I had never heard this saying before, understood what it meant. I use the word 'cobbler' rather than 'shoemaker'. Also prefer the ring to 'cobbler' and 'unshod' rather than 'shoemaker' and 'barefoot'. But that's just my opinion, I hope it helps.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Veronika McLaren
: it would of course depend where and how the phrase is used
7 mins
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Yep and thanks!
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agree |
Tony M
: I think the commoner expression in modern EN is probably 'plumbers always have dripping taps'. And yes, I think educated readers would certainly understand it, but it does have a quaintly dated ring to it, which may or may not be desirable for you.
1 hr
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I agree! Thanks!
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agree |
Charles Davis
: I think so, yes
1 hr
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Thanks! And agree about the apostrophe, unless it's 'a' or 'the' I suppose.
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agree |
katsy
: Reminds me of a common French proverb, which, translated, says "Cobblers are always the worst shod". I have not heard this expression in EN (I'm British... but then I don't know Tony's equivalent either!) but find it quite understandable.
1 hr
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Thanks! I hadn't heard Tony's either!
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agree |
Jack Doughty
2 hrs
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Thanks!
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agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
3 hrs
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Thanks!
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agree |
Christine Andersen
: I knew it as 'the cobbler's children are the worst shod/ have the worst shoes'. In Denmark the baker's children eat stale bread, but that expression is less well known. Shoes are made in factories now - I would keep the cobbler in the proverb!
15 hrs
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Thanks! I like the baker version :)
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agree |
Phong Le
2 days 8 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "thank you!"
Discussion
Most educated native speakers would understand this proverb, but, "The shoemaker's children always go barefoot" is a good alternative if you are writing for an audience of people with mixed cultural and educational backgrounds.
A variation states something like, "The carpenter's home has no door," or, "The carpenter's home is the one with no door."
There is a version of this which runs "cobblers' children have no shoes", which might be preferable in terms of the concern you express in the question: "unshod" is a bit learned. The word "cobbler" is pretty normal, I think, and I doubt it will be unfamiliar to many people.