ProverbWisdom
Dutch origin
Dutch originHet zijn niet allen koks die lange messen dragen
Meaning: Looking the part doesn't make you an expert.
Literally: Not everyone who carries long knives is a cook
Example: “Hij heeft dure camera's, maar zijn foto's zijn slecht. Het zijn niet allen koks die lange messen dragen.” — He has expensive cameras, but his photos are bad: clothes don't make the man.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Italian
English: All are not hunters that blow the horn.
French: Ne sont pas tous chasseurs qui sonnent du cor (literally: All are not hunters who blow the horn)
Spanish: El hábito no hace al monje (literally: The habit does not make the monk)
Japanese: 衣ばかりで和尚はできぬ (Koromo bakari de oshō wa dekinu) (literally: Robes alone do not make a priest)
German: Es sind nicht alle Köche, die lange Messer tragen (literally: Not all who carry long knives are cooks)
Italian: L'abito non fa il monaco (literally: The habit doesn't make the monk)
Origin: Carrying a long knife doesn't make you a cook, just as English says not all who blow the horn are hunters.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Liesje leerde Lotje lopen langs de lange Lindelaan. Eight consecutive l-words, with the vowel behind the l changing every time.
- De kat krabt de krullen van de trap. A 'kr' cluster drill — Dutch consonant pileups that beginners approach with dread.
- Als vliegen achter vliegen vliegen, vliegen vliegen vliegen achterna. The same noun/verb homograph trap as the German version — vliegen does triple duty.
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