Rob Peter to pay Paul
Meaning: Solve one problem by creating another.
Origin: The saying was current in English by the late 14th century. A popular story ties it to the 1540s, when funds of St. Peter's, Westminster, were supposedly diverted to repair St. Paul's Cathedral — but the phrase is far older than that. The two apostles were most likely paired because they share a feast day.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Déshabiller Pierre pour habiller Paul (literally: Undress Peter to dress Paul)
- Spanish: Desnudar a un santo para vestir a otro (literally: Undress one saint to dress another)
- Japanese: あちらを立てればこちらが立たず (Achira wo tatereba kochira ga tatazu) (literally: If one side stands, the other cannot)
- German: Ein Loch mit dem anderen zustopfen (literally: To plug one hole with another)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- You can't have your cake and eat it too — You can't enjoy two mutually exclusive things simultaneously.
- Better safe than sorry — It's wiser to be cautious than to take unnecessary risks.
- A rose by any other name would smell as sweet — The essence of something doesn't depend on what it's called.
- Kill two birds with one stone — Accomplish two tasks with a single action.
- Don't bite off more than you can chew — Don't take on more than you can handle.
- Every rose has its thorn — Even the best things have their drawbacks.
From our untranslatable words
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