I've been trying to get google to translate a Dutch colloquialism, but I'm sure you'll understand how that went. The expression is: De kat op het spek binden. The literal translation is in the thread title and it's supposed to mean that you're putting someone in so much temptation it's no surprise they did wrong. The only seemingly colloquial English version I can find is: Setting the fox to keep the geese. But that doesn't especially ring a bell with me, nor does it come across as commonly used. Could anyone provide an alternative, assuming there is one?
The fox in the hen house. A kid in a candy store. At first I thought this thread would be some variation of 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon.
I don't think that's right - the cat amongst the pigeons means to cause a disturbance by introducing an unwanted factor, rather than a expression denoting temptation.
Hmmm, I was thinking temptation from perspective of the kitty cat. But yeah... pigeons going to be in a flap. What about...moth to the flame?
Prince Charles is isolating at Balmoral with Covid – 19 Prince Andrew is isolating at Windsor with Jennifer – 14 ...and; back in the room! I like @SethLoki's moth to the flame I think. Irresistible temptation with fatal consequences. This is also good, but reminds me too much of my adaptation for nervousness or being too hot... sweating like a fat man in a pie shop (c:
There. This is the one that eluded me. Of course, I used "fox to keep the geese" as a placeholder and then promptly proceeded to build off that, so changing it would probably ruin a bunch of good lines. It's a first draft, or whatever comes before that, really. Anyway, thanks. So? Go ahead. How many degrees is any given cat removed from Kevin Bacon?
Yeah. The only one I could initially find was setting the fox to keep the geese, but that didn't sound familiar to me. Either way, it appears that foxes are getting the short end of the stick. Another charming saying, by the way, of which one of the assumed origins is the stick people used before the downright glorious invention of toilet paper.