To paint a snake and add legs. (Exaggeration.)
To sketch a tiger and make it a dog, is to imitate a work of genius and spoil it.
To ride a fierce dog to catch a lame rabbit. (Useless power over a contemptible enemy.)
To attack a thousand tigers with ten men. (To attempt a difficulty with incommensurate means.)
To cut off a hen’s head with a battle-axe. (Unnecessary valor.)
To cherish a bad man is like nourishing a tiger; if not well fed he will devour you: or like rearing a hawk; if hungry he will stay by you, but fly away when fed.
To instigate a villain to do wrong is like teaching a monkey to climb trees.
To catch a fish and throw away the net;—not to requite benefits.
To take a locust’s shank for the shaft of a carriage;—an inefficient person doing important work.