Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Arabic term or phrase:
إدي العيش لخبازُه
English translation:
Never send a boy to do a man's job.
Added to glossary by
Muhammad Atallah
Nov 29, 2017 13:32
6 yrs ago
14 viewers *
Arabic term
إدي العيش لخبازُه
Arabic to English
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General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Idioms
I am looking for an English idiom that corresponds to this popular Egyptian idiom.
Proposed translations
(English)
5 +4 | Never send a boy to do a man's job. | Muhammad Atallah |
5 | Horses for courses | Aboelnoor |
4 | Let an expert handle the job. | Ludina Sallam |
Change log
Dec 1, 2017 06:55: Muhammad Atallah Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+4
4 mins
Selected
Never send a boy to do a man's job.
OR
There will be trouble if the cobbler starts making pies.
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Note added at 4 mins (2017-11-29 13:37:17 GMT)
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https://books.google.com.eg/books?id=gB5cBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA14&lp...
There will be trouble if the cobbler starts making pies.
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Note added at 4 mins (2017-11-29 13:37:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
https://books.google.com.eg/books?id=gB5cBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA14&lp...
Peer comment(s):
agree |
TargamaT team
6 mins
|
agree |
Muhammad Said
8 mins
|
agree |
Morano El-Kholy
53 mins
|
agree |
Spiridon
: agree
17 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you Muhammad. The client liked "There will be trouble if the cobbler starts making pies.
""
23 hrs
Let an expert handle the job.
(This is not really an idiom, it is just the way it is often said in English nowadays.)
1406 days
Horses for courses
Everyone has his own specialization, you can't cut a man's hair unless you are a barber!
Discussion
Although the general meaning is fairly clear, people seem to use the expression in different ways. I remember this saying being used to mean "The maker of a tool should be expected to be its best user." Nowadays, I hear people using it to mean, "Give a job to the best talent available," which is not quite the same thing.
Even in this newer sense, I have heard it used in two different ways. Negatively, it is used to mean, "The reason this job was done poorly is that it was not given to the right talent." If that is the sense you favor, then Muhammad Atallah's suggestions are perfect. But the expression can also be used positively to mean, "Here is the right talent for this job." For example, when something goes awry with my computer and I try to fix it and then my brother arrives on the scene, that is what I would say as I cede my seat to him asking him to help.