ProverbChallenge
English origin
English originIt is an ill bird that defiles its own nest.
Meaning: Betraying your family or community harms the very foundation of your own security and belonging.
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 French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Polish
French: Il faut laver son linge sale en famille (literally: One should wash one's dirty linen within the family)
Spanish: Aquella ave es mala, que en su nido caga (literally: It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest)
German: Es ist ein schlechter Vogel, der sein eigenes Nest beschmutzt (literally: It is a bad bird that dirties its own nest)
Italian: I panni sporchi si lavano in casa (literally: Dirty linen is washed at home)
Portuguese: A roupa suja lava-se em casa (literally: Dirty laundry is washed at home)
Polish: Zły to ptak, co własne gniazdo kala (literally: It's a bad bird that soils its own nest)
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Eres más lento que el caballo del malo You're painfully slow — the villain's horse never catches the hero.
- Testa di rapa A blockhead who isn't thinking.
- Du hast doch einen Vogel You're a bit out of your mind.
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