da komšiji crkne krava
Serbo-Croatian
Alternative forms
- da susjedu crkne krava (Croatia)
- nek' komšiji crkne krava
Etymology
Literally "may neighbor's cow die"/"(so) that neighbor's cow dies".
At least as old as 1971 [1]
Phrase
da komšiji crkne krava (Cyrillic spelling да комшији цркне крава)
- expresses the sentiment that harm to others is satisfying (even more that benefit to oneself)
Usage notes
- Not used directly, but to describe crab mentality commonly attributed to peoples of former Yugoslavia.
References
- "komšiji+crkne+krava" Tribina Socijalističkih saveza radnog naroda Hrvatske 1971