ProverbHuman NatureEnglish origin18th c.

You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours

Meaning: If you help me, I will help you.

Example: “Lend me your truck and I'll help you move: you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.”

Origin: Nobody can easily scratch their own back. The phrase is recorded from the 18th century, originally of sailors punishing each other lightly by agreement.

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Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

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