Child's pig, but father's bacon.
Meaning: A child enjoys raising the pig, but the parent bears the real costs and consequences of its care.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Human Nature
- Children are poor men's riches. — Offspring provide intangible wealth to those lacking material resources through love, pur…
- He is in clover. — Prosperity and contentment come from finding oneself in favorable, comfortable circumstan…
- Courts have no almanacks. — Judges decide cases based on evidence and law, not predetermined schedules or predictable…
- Great cry and little wool. — Loud complaints about shearing yield disappointingly meager results, warning against mist…
- Custom is second nature. — Habits ingrained through repetition become as automatic and instinctive as inborn traits.
- Many drops make a shower. — Small, repeated contributions accumulate into something substantial and significant.
From our compliments & insults
- Quel râleur / quelle râleuse — You never stop moaning — everything is a complaint, nothing is ever good enough.
- Peau de vache — A mean, difficult, and unpleasant person — tough and unyielding like tanned hide.
- Eres un aguafiestas — You're a killjoy — you pour cold water on everyone's fun the moment you arrive.