Dutch Saying Of The Week:
DSOTW will bring you a mysterious and wise idiom from the lowlands on a weekly basis.
Nummer 1:
Je moet de kat niet op het spek binden.
- You dont tie a cat to bacon
Meaning: Putting someone in a position where it is impossible tempting to take something he cannot have, and it will eventually turn out badly.
Like you don't put an arsonist in charge of the fireworks factory, have pedo's run your daycare or let your slutty wife go on holiday to Italy alone.
Example in usage:
Barmanager 1: we could let Jim (a recovering alcoholic) clean up the bar and lock up alone.
Barmanager 2: "Je moet de kat niet op het spek binden" , i'd rather have Jack do it.
Is that a common saying?