a bad workman always blames his tools

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No etymology was provided for this word.

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bengali: নাচতে না জানলে উঠান বাঁকা (nacote na janle uṭhan bãka) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Bulgarian: на калпав майстор инструментът му е крив (na kalpav majstor instrumentǎt mu e kriv) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Chinese Cantonese: 屙屎唔出賴地硬 /屙屎唔出赖地硬 (o1 si2 m4 ceot1 laai6 dei6 ngaang6) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Chinese Cantonese: 賴地硬 /赖地硬 (laai6 dei6 ngaang6) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Hakka Chinese: 唔識字怨爺娘,唔會賺錢怨屋場 /唔识字怨爷娘 — not the tools but how they're employed
• Hakka Chinese: 唔会赚钱怨屋场 (m̀ sṳt-sṳ yen yà-ngiòng, m̀-voi chhon-chhièn yen vuk-chhòng) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Chinese: 𣍐曉駛船嫌溪彎 /𫧃晓驶船嫌溪弯 (bōe-hiáu sái-chûn hiâm khoe oan) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Chinese: 𣍐曉駛船嫌溪狹 /𫧃晓驶船嫌溪狭 (bōe-hiáu sái-chûn hiâm khoe oe̍h) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Chinese Mandarin: 拉不出屎來賴茅坑 /拉不出屎来赖茅坑 (lā bù chū shǐ lái lài máokēng) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Chinese Mandarin: 尿不準怪馬桶歪 /尿不准怪马桶歪 — not the tools but how they're employed
• Dutch: een kwaad werkman heeft altijd slecht getuig — not the tools but how they're employed
• Finnish: kyllä sika syitä löytää, välillä on maa jäässä, välillä kärsä kipeä — not the tools but how they're employed
• French: à méchant ouvrier, point de bon outil — not the tools but how they're employed
• French: un mauvais ouvrier a toujours de mauvais outils — not the tools but how they're employed
• German: wenn der Reiter nichts taugt, hat das Pferd Schuld — not the tools but how they're employed
• German: ein schlechter Handwerker schimpft immer auf sein Werkzeug — not the tools but how they're employed
• Hindi: नाच न जाने आँगन टेढ़ा (nāc na jāne āṅgan ṭeṛhā) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Icelandic: árinni kennir illur ræðari — not the tools but how they're employed
• Indonesian: buruk muka cermin dibelah — not the tools but how they're employed
• Irish: droch-cheardaí a chuireann an milleán ar a chuid uirlisí — not the tools but how they're employed
• Irish: ní thig a sháith de chorrán a thabhairt do dhrochbhuanaí — not the tools but how they're employed
• Japanese: 弘法筆を選ばず (kōbō fude o erabazu) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Malay: تق تاهو مناري دکاتاکن لنتاي جوڠکڠ-جوڠکيت — not the tools but how they're employed
• Malay: تق تاهو مناري دکاتاکن تانه تيڠݢي رنده — not the tools but how they're employed
• Malay: تق تاهو مڠاڽم ڤندن دسالهکن — not the tools but how they're employed
• Malay: tak tahu menari dikatakan lantai jongkang-jongket — not the tools but how they're employed
• Malay: tak tahu menari dikatakan tanah tinggi rendah — not the tools but how they're employed
• Malay: tak tahu menganyam pandan disalahkan — not the tools but how they're employed
• Marathi: नाचता येइना अंगण वाकडे (nāctā yeinā aṅgaṇ vākḍe) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Nepali: नाच्न नजान्ने आँगन टेडो (nācna najānne ā̃gan ṭeḍo) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Dari: پهلوان که باخت میگه نیرو من تنگ بود — not the tools but how they're employed
• Polish: złej baletnicy przeszkadza rąbek spódnicy — not the tools but how they're employed
• Scottish Gaelic: cha d'fhuair droch-bhuannaiche a-riamh deagh-chorran — not the tools but how they're employed
• Scottish Gaelic: cha d'fhuair droch-ràmhaich ràmh math a-riamh — not the tools but how they're employed
• Thai: รําไม่ดีโทษปี่โทษกลอง (ram-mâi-dii-tôot-bpìi-tôot-glɔɔng) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Urdu: ناچ نہ جانے آنگن ٹیڑھا (nāc na jāne ā̃gan ṭeṛhā) — not the tools but how they're employed
• Vietnamese: vụng múa chê đất lệch — not the tools but how they're employed