many hands make light work
Meaning: A job is easier when many people share it.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Everyone grab a box; many hands make light work.”
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: A proverb recorded in English from the 14th century, found in the romance Sir Bevis of Hampton.
Equivalents in other languages
- Korean: 백지장도 맞들면 낫다 (Baekjijangdo matdeulmyeon natda) — literally: Even a blank paper is better when held together
- Hungarian: Sok lúd disznót győz — literally: Many geese defeat a pig
- Arabic: يد واحدة لا تصفق (yad wāḥida lā tuṣaffiqu) — literally: One hand does not clap
- Swahili: Kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa — literally: One finger can't crush a louse
- Irish: Ní neart go cur le chéile — literally: There's no strength without unity
More idioms — Body & Senses
- right under one's nose — Very close, yet unnoticed.
- bend over backwards — To make a great effort to help or please someone.
- beauty is in the eye of the beholder — What one person finds beautiful another may not.
- play into someone's hands — To act in a way that unintentionally helps an opponent.
- Tomber dans les pommes — Suddenly losing consciousness — possibly derived from the older expression 'être dans les…
- Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez — To be getting angry.
More English idioms
- kick the cat — To take out one's anger on someone weaker or innocent.
- Rome wasn't built in a day — Important things take time.
- better late than never — It is better to do something late than not at all.
- be afraid of one's own shadow — To be very timid and easily frightened.
- lightning never strikes twice — An unusual event, lucky or unlucky, is unlikely to happen again in the same way.
- a blessing in disguise — Something that seems bad at first but turns out well.
From our compliments & insults
- Du gehst mir auf den Keks — You're getting on my nerves.
- Schlaumeier — A smart aleck or know-it-all.
- 石頭 (Ishiatama) — A stubborn, inflexible person who won't budge.