Touch a galled horse, and he will wince.
Meaning: Inflicting pain on someone already wounded guarantees a sharp, defensive reaction.
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
- When God wills, all winds bring rain. — Divine providence operates beyond human understanding; circumstances we cannot control ma…
- Grasp no more than thy hand will hold. — Overreaching beyond your capacity leads to losing everything you might have secured.
- A great dowry is a bed full of troubles. — Excessive wealth given in marriage creates domestic conflict rather than harmony or secur…
- Green wood makes a hot fire. — Unseasoned effort burns intensely but wastefully, consuming energy without producing last…
- Grief pent up will burst the heart. — Unexpressed sorrow accumulates internally until it causes emotional and physical harm.
- The mill cannot grind with the water that is past. — Dwelling on past opportunities wastes energy; focus your effort on present circumstances…
From our idioms
- die Hände in den Schoß legen — To be idle or inactive; to do nothing while waiting or while problems accumulate.
- etwas auf seine Kappe nehmen — To accept blame or responsibility for something.
- vom Hundertsten ins Tausendste kommen — To jump chaotically from one topic or thought to another without finishing any of them.