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The French saying "Qui vole un œuf vole un bœuf" revealed

You are in the right place to find out everything you have to know about the funny saying "Qui vole un œuf vole un bœuf". More precisely, this includes a full definition of what it is and how you can use it in a dialogue with an audio example. Together with the cool informations we added like slow pronunciation audio, dialogue example, synonym and more!

French to English

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  Translation : Give an inch and he'll take a mile

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  Literal meaning : Who steals an egg will steal an ox

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  Register : Informal - Funny

Pronunciation example

Slow

Normal

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  IPA : / ki vɔl ɛ̃n- œf vɔl ɛ̃ bœːf. /

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What does it mean exactly?

Definition

• Qui vole → Who steals
• Un oeuf → An egg
• Vole → Steals
• Un boeuf → An ox

As you probably guessed, the first meaning of this proverb is that there is no minor crime. Someone who steals something as cheap as an egg, will someday end up stealing something much more expensive, like an ox.

If the thief doesn't face any consequences after his minor crime, he will be more confident for the next one. And will be less hesitating before acting, because his mental barriers had been lowered.

Here the theft is an image for any kind of "crime" and can typically represent infidelity, hurting, etc.

But there is another lesson here: from the victim's point of view, there is no minor crime. An egg might seem "nothing" for the thief but might be the only sustenance that keeps the victim alive.

We could conclude that the severity of a crime is a relative notion and can vary a lot between different people and cultures.

How to use it

If you know someone who committed a minor crime/theft or don't realize that what he qualifies as "minor" could have severe consequences for others. Or if you just want to keep a wise proverb that prevents you from committing "the first theft".

Then you can use "Qui vole un oeuf, vole un boeuf" as a friendly reminder for staying on the track.

Synonyms

• Qui vole un oeuf vole un chameau. ("Who steals an egg steals a camel")
• Qui vole veau, volera vache. ("Who steals a veal, will steals an ox")
• Il n'y a que le premier pas qui coûte. ("Only the first step has a cost")