Pour not water on a drowned mouse.
Pour not water on a drowned mouse.
Meaning in plain English
Do not add burdens to someone already overwhelmed. Pouring more water onto a drowned mouse gives a stark image of effort that cannot help and may only worsen an already hopeless situation.
Example
A supervisor reduces nonessential requests when a colleague is already occupied with an urgent backlog.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The mouse has already suffered from too much water, so another pouring cannot serve as a useful response. The proverb can question criticism, pressure or repeated demands directed at someone who is already struggling. It asks whether an intervention offers any practical benefit or merely adds to the burden. The severe image should not be used to decide that a living person or difficult project is beyond help. A useful application changes the kind of response rather than abandoning care: reduce an unnecessary demand, clarify priorities or offer assistance that addresses the actual need. More of the same is not always support.
When to use it
Use it to question demands that worsen an existing burden.
Keep in mind
Do not label people beyond help; look for a more useful response.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-04. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 455 · Drowned
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 ↗