He covers me with his wings, and bites me with his bill.
Meaning: A protector may simultaneously harm you through the very closeness required to defend you.
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 Challenge
- A crooked tree will have a crooked shadow. — Flawed character inevitably produces flawed outcomes, just as a tree's deformity cannot c…
- Daylight will peep through a small hole. — Light finds its way through the tiniest opening, so truth and hope cannot be completely s…
- There are none so deaf as those who will not hear. — Willful ignorance is more impenetrable than physical deafness; people reject truth they r…
- Out of debt, out of danger. — Freedom from financial obligations eliminates the vulnerability that creditors and desper…
- He that hath shipped the devil must make the best of him. — Once committed to a dangerous course, you must proceed with full effort rather than aband…
- Make not the devil blacker than he is. — Don't exaggerate someone's faults or paint them worse than reality warrants.
From our false friends
- Simpatichny (Симпатичный) (Simpatichnyy) — Actually means 'good-looking' or 'likeable'. For sympathetic, say сочувствующий (sochuvst…
- Aktualny (Актуальный) (Aktualnyy) — Actually means 'topical' or 'currently relevant'. For actual (real), say настоящий (nasto…
- Artist (Артист) (Artist) — Actually means 'performer' — an actor, singer or circus artiste. A painter is художник (k…