don't shoot the messenger

English

WOTD – 21 May 2010

Pronunciation

Audio (US) (file)

Proverb

don't shoot the messenger

The bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for it.

Translations

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

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
Italian: ambasciator non porta pena
Kurdish: qasid êrî û bêrî ye

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

References

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

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