People began to use proverbs to express their thoughts more clearly. When we try to explain difficult things to another person, we always use comparisons that he can understand. Some of them were so successful and understandable that they began to be used often and entered the list of proverbs, for example: “You don’t know the ford, don’t stick your head into the water.” Its meaning is so simple that even children understand what it is about.
Direct meaning of the expression
Today, the word ford is practically not used in everyday life, this is due to the life of modern society. A ford is a shallow area where a river can be safely crossed. Well, where would a modern man cross a river in this way? In the cities, a bridge was laid across each of them, and if there is none, then few people would think of crossing to the other side by water.
Before commitsuch movements were a necessity, but people knew that in unfamiliar places it was dangerous to do so. That is why they literally understood the phrase: “If you don’t know the ford, don’t stick your head in the water,” because you could get into trouble.
Modern understanding of the proverb
To use a proverb to the place, you need to understand what it means. And it can be applied in different situations. If they want to warn a person that without knowledge and certain skills it is not worth starting a certain business, then they say to him: if you don’t know the ford, don’t poke your head into the water, which means not to do what you don’t understand. Some do not agree with this statement, believing that sometimes you need to do something that you do not know and have not done before. But here it's a bit off topic. All our lives we have to do something for the first time from time to time, which we have not done before and do not know how. The second wording sounds: without asking for a ford, do not poke your head into the water. This does not mean that you should not go there at all, but only that you should prepare for this matter and ask those who have already been there or know what it is about.
We can't be competent in everything, but when we say: if you don't know the ford, don't poke your head in the water, we mean not to get down to business without preliminary preparation, without knowledge and skills. Before you start anything, you need to get to the bottom of the matter, find out the nuances and details, talk with knowledgeable people, in general, prepare.
If you don't know the details, don't interfere
The proverb can be used in another meaning. You don't know the ford, don't stick your head in the water they say to people when they try to judge a situation without knowing the details. Often we hear conversations where someone is judging someone's actions or attitudes. And he judges the situation superficially, because he does not know what is really happening in the relationship. In such cases they say: if you don't know the ford, don't poke your head into the water. Meaning: do not know the true state of affairs, do not interfere and do not judge what is happening.
This proverb is used in different works, and nowhere you will find its use in its direct meaning, because it is relevant precisely for comparison, in order to clearly show that it is risky to start a business in which you understand nothing, it may fail. It is not worth doing anything in a case about which you know nothing, because in the end you can get something completely different from what you expected. In any undertakings, it is worth calculating and finding out where the ford is located, along which difficult moments can be crossed. Problems should also not be solved in a hurry, you need to figure out where the most successful exit is and use it.
