proverb · Words worth keeping
He would starve in a cook-shop.
He would starve in a cook-shop.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying imagines someone starving even in a shop full of prepared food. It exaggerates a failure to obtain or use what appears close at hand.
What the words are saying
The cook-shop makes the contrast striking: apparent abundance does not result in the needed provision. A responsible reading asks what actual barrier is present instead of treating need as proof of incompetence. Access, permission or resources may matter even when something is visible. The image should not be used to blame a person for lacking essentials.
Everyday example
A group checks whether people can actually access a resource before assuming its presence means everyone is served.
When to use it
Use it critically to examine a gap between availability and access.
What it does not mean
The exaggeration does not establish the reason for deprivation or justify blame.
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
- Not established
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1520 · Starve
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English