don't shoot the messenger

English

WOTD – 21 May 2010

Pronunciation

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• Audio (General Australian):

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Proverb

don't shoot the messenger

1. (sarcastic or humorous) The bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for it.

Related terms

• shoot the messenger

Translations

the bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for the bad news

• Czech: nikdo nemá rád posly špatných zpráv, nestřílejte pianistu, nenadávej na zrcadlo když máš křivou hubu
• Dutch: geef niet de boodschapper de schuld, schiet niet op de boodschapper, schiet niet van de boodschapper
• Finnish: älä ammu viestintuojaa
• French: ne tuez pas le messager, ne tirez pas sur le messager, ce n’est pas en cassant le thermomètre qu’on fait tomber la fièvre (fr)
• Italian: ambasciator non porta pena
• Kumyk: элчиге оьлюм ёкъ (elçige ölüm yoq)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: qasid êrî û bêrî ye

• Polish: nie strzelaj do posłańca
• Russian: горькие вести и гонцу не на ра́дость (gorʹkije vesti i goncu ne na rádostʹ), (somewhat) желанные вести — мил гоне́ц (želannyje vesti — mil gonéc), (somewhat) по вестям и гонца встречают (po vestjam i gonca vstrečajut)
• Spanish: no disparen al mensajero, no maten al mensajero
• Swedish: skjut inte budbäraren
• Turkish: elçiye zeval olmaz

See also

• don't hate the player, hate the game

References

• Gregory Y. Titelman (1996) Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, →ISBN, page 71