To threaten the brave with death is like promising water to a duck.

Understand the thought

Meaning in plain English

Death threatened to the brave compared with water promised to a duck gives intimidation a supposedly ineffective target. The saying imagines courage resisting a threat.

What the words are saying

A responsible reading treats the comparison as exaggeration, not an invitation to die or proof that brave people feel no fear. Threatened people can seek protection and support. The image supplies no confrontation method or reason to test another person’s courage through danger.

Everyday example

Someone supports a threatened person’s safety rather than judging them by whether the threat frightened them.

When to use it

Use it critically as an intimidation-and-courage image.

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Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.