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Traditional✓ Culturally verified

“Tu much ratta nebba dig gud hole.”

Too many rats never dug a good hole.

What does “Tu much ratta nebba dig gud hole” mean?

A good job/project/activity could be spoilt if there are too many individuals attempting to carry out the same task.

English translation

Too many rats never dug a good hole.

Literal translation

Too many rats never dug a good hole.

Understanding the expression

A good job/project/activity could be spoilt if there are too many individuals attempting to carry out the same task. Ideally, work should be delegated, and one should avoid frustrating those who can really do the work, by gently re-deploying those who are time-wasters.

When to use it: an illustrative example

"Everybody a give orders pon di project an nutten a get done." — "Tu much ratta nebba dig gud hole."

Partner proverb

Every proverb has its partner

“Tu much ratta nebba dig gud hole.”

“Dawg wid too much owna go a bed widout suppa.”

A dog with too many owners goes to bed without supper.

Shared wisdom: Where a task is assigned to too many persons, no one is likely to feel individually responsible for the job.

View partner proverb →

Topics

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Attribution and review

Traditional Jamaican proverb