en English es español fr française it italiano de deutsche ja 日本語 pl polski cs česky sv svenska tr Türkçe nl Nederlands

Explaining "A bad workman blames his tools"

Reviewed and edited by Anwar Kareem 18/11/2024, 15:26
English.me team member

What does it mean?

A bad workman blames his tools

The phrase means that a person who lacks skill or competence blames external factors, like their tools, instead of accepting responsibility for their own inadequacies.

Tone

Admonishing

Origin

The phrase has been in use since at least the 13th century, with variations in several languages. It suggests a longstanding observation of human behavior, where people often blame external factors for their failures.

Examples of usage

  • When the project failed, instead of admitting he didn't plan well, John just said that the computer software was faulty. A classic case of a bad workman blames his tools.
  • She couldn't hit the target and kept saying the arrows weren't good enough, but we all knew it was a situation of a bad workman blames his tools.

Recommended posts in Phrases

Let sleeping dogs lie

Let sleeping dogs lie

The phrase "Let sleeping dogs lie" means to avoid interfering ... Learn more →

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

The phrase "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" means ... Learn more →

Easy come, easy go

Easy come, easy go

The phrase "Easy come, easy go" means that something acquired ... Learn more →

There is no such thing as bad publicity

There is no such thing as bad publicity

The phrase "There is no such thing as bad publicity" ... Learn more →