IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishdo more harm than good
Meaning: To make matters worse while trying to help.
Example: “Watering the cactus every day did more harm than good.”
Origin: A plain weighing of harm against good, found in English from the 16th century and older still in Latin moral writing.
Equivalents in other languages
Russian: Медвежья услуга (Medvezhya usluga) Literally: A bear's service
More English idioms
- drag one's feet To delay deliberately.
- be tone-deaf To be unable to tell musical notes apart; also, to have no sense of how others feel.
- throw dust in someone's eyes To mislead someone by distracting them.
- when pigs fly Never.
- lead someone up the garden path To deceive someone, keeping them hopeful along the way.
- packed like sardines Crowded very tightly together.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Más terco/a que una mula Hopelessly obstinate — no argument, fact, or force of nature will shift their position.
- Pareces un pulpo en un garaje You're completely out of place — flailing around uselessly in an environment that makes n…
- Che rompiscatole What an insufferable pest — someone who endlessly pesters and never lets you be.
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