Phrase guide

you don't dip your pen in company ink

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

proverb

Meaning 1

One should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Cantonese: 喺度食唔好喺度痾 /喺度食唔好喺度疴 (hai2 dou6 sik6 m4 hou2 hai2 dou6 o1) — one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 兔子不吃窩邊草 /兔子不吃窝边草 (tùzi bù chī wō biān cǎo) — one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace
  • Finnish: ei pidä syödä kuormasta — one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace
  • French: no zob in job — one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace
  • German: Bürofick bringt Unglück — one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace
  • Hungarian: házinyúlra nem lövünk — one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace
  • Portuguese: onde se ganha o pão, não se come a carne — one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace
  • Spanish: donde tengas la olla no metas la polla — one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace
  • Spanish: donde se come no se caga — one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace