proverb · Words worth keeping
A performing masquerader who tries too hard to outclass his colleagues may expose his anus.
A performing masquerader who tries too hard to outclass his colleagues may expose his anus.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A masquerader revealing himself while trying too hard to surpass others gives competitive display an embarrassing unintended outcome. The coarse image questions overreaching in performance.
What the words are saying
The precise traditional setting is unverified. A qualified reading can consider consequences of excessive display without mocking a body or condemning ambition generally. A useful application checks whether the effort serves the work rather than merely a comparison with colleagues.
Everyday example
A performer reviews whether an added flourish serves the piece instead of only trying to eclipse another participant.
When to use it
Use it only as a qualified display-and-overreach image.
What it does not mean
No universal embarrassment from ambition or body-based worth judgment is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Nigeria
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 675; PDF page 61; collection label: Nigeria
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Nigeria