joka kuuseen kurkottaa, se katajaan kapsahtaa

Finnish

Alternative forms

  • ken kuuseen kurkottaa, se katajaan kapsahtaa

Etymology

A variant can be found in Henrik Florinus: Wanhain suomalaisten tawaliset ja suloiset sananlascut ("The Proper and Graceful Proverbs of the Old Finns", 1702): Joca cuuſeen curoitta / ſe catawaan crapſatta.

Proverb

joka kuuseen kurkottaa, se katajaan kapsahtaa (literally, “whoever reaches for the spruce shall plummet onto the juniper”)

  1. look high and fall low; do not try to reach something too high or too good for you, as you may end up worse off
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