Don’t snap your fingers at the dogs before you are out of the village.
Don’t snap your fingers at the dogs before you are out of the village.
Meaning in plain English
Do not provoke a threat while you are still exposed to it. Restraint can be a practical way to leave a difficult situation safely.
Example
A person leaving a hostile meeting asks a colleague to accompany them rather than staying to trade insults on the way out.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The traveller mocks the dogs before reaching the edge of the village, while they can still follow or attack. The saying directs attention to timing and vulnerability: a display of contempt can create a fresh danger before a person has completed their exit. A careful reading need not approve mockery once safety is reached. Avoiding unnecessary provocation is useful throughout. The image can help someone choose a calm departure, arrange support or delay a confrontation until they can address it without exposing themselves to immediate retaliation.
When to use it
Use it to consider safety and timing during a difficult departure.
Keep in mind
Responsibility for threats lies with the threatening person. This is an option for reducing exposure, not a demand that someone tolerate abuse.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 24; French section, paragraph 470; source wording: Il ne faut pas se moquer des chiens qu’on ne soit hors du village.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗