Feather by feather the goose is plucked.
Meaning: Small incremental losses, ignored individually, accumulate into significant depletion over time.
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.
Equivalents in Italian
- Italian: A penna a penna si pela l’oca (literally: Feather by feather the goose is plucked)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- February makes a bridge, and March breaks it. — Winter's deceptive mild spells in February create false hope before March's renewed cold…
- Feed sparingly, and defy the physician. — Moderate eating prevents illness, making medical intervention unnecessary.
- The fifer don't pay a fiddler. — A musician playing one instrument cannot compensate another musician for their work.
- Fiddler's fare; meat, drink, and money. — A fiddler's performance rewards him with sustenance, refreshment, and payment all at once.
- Fields have eyes, and woods have ears. — Watchful observers in open spaces and hidden listeners in concealed places mean privacy n…
- He wants to have a finger in every pie. — Ambition to control multiple enterprises simultaneously often dilutes focus and prevents…
From our compliments & insults
- Du hast doch einen Vogel — You're a bit out of your mind.
- Du gehst mir auf den Keks — You're getting on my nerves.
- Schlaumeier — A smart aleck or know-it-all.