Don't shoot the messenger
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Spare the bearer of bad news, not their fault.
Origin
From ancient Greece, tied to Plutarch's 'messenger spared' (1st century CE), English by 1600s in a play for plea. A 1700s text uses it for a tell.
Variants
- Don't shoot
Usage Examples
- Don't shoot the messenger; I'm just saying.
- Shoot not; he's only the news.
- Messenger here; don't aim.
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