proverb · Words worth keeping
The sleepy fox catches no chickens.
The sleepy fox catches no chickens.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying gives a sleepy fox no chickens to catch. As an analogy, inattention or inactivity is pictured as missing a desired result.
What the words are saying
The contrast concerns an imagined pursuit, not a verified hunting pattern. A useful application can ask whether attention to a task is needed, while recognising that rest and barriers matter. The supplied employment-and-money gloss is one wider reading, not a guaranteed consequence.
Everyday example
Someone attends to a time-sensitive task while planning rest rather than assuming constant activity is required.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified attention-and-opportunity comparison.
What it does not mean
Rest does not establish failure, and no animal or income rule is verified.
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
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 281; PDF page 43
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.