don't shoot the messenger
Meaning: Don't blame the person who brings bad news.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “I'm only telling you what the boss decided; don't shoot the messenger.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The idea is ancient: Plutarch tells of a king who killed the messenger bringing bad news, and Sophocles has "no one loves the messenger who brings bad news." The modern phrase is common from the 20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Ne tirez pas sur le pianiste — literally: Don't shoot the pianist
More idioms — Daily Life
- as old as Methuselah — Extremely old.
- ugly as sin — Very ugly.
- the sandman is coming — It's time to sleep; someone is getting sleepy.
- cash on the nail — Payment made immediately.
- move the needle — To make a noticeable difference.
- have a few tricks up one's sleeve — To have secret plans or resources in reserve.
More English idioms
- slow and steady wins the race — Patience and persistence succeed better than haste.
- go by shanks' mare — To walk; to travel on foot.
- like a duck to water — Naturally and easily, as if born to it.
- kill the goose that lays the golden eggs — To destroy a source of profit out of greed.
- with one's tail between one's legs — Humiliated and defeated.
- have a foot in both camps — To be involved with two opposing sides at once.
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