only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches
only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches
proverb
1. Only someone directly afflicted by some source of pain or unhappiness can truly experience it. Everyone else is only able to sympathize. You have to tell us if the work is getting too strenuous for you, Mike. We're not mind readers—only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.
2. Only someone directly involved in something can identify the source of some trouble or stress associated with it. If you guys want to find out about any issues with the payroll process, you should go talk to the accounting department—after all, only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.
See also: know, pinch, shoe
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
- teach a man to fish
- it takes a village
- village
- a burnt child dreads the fire
- burnt
- bad workers always blame their tools
- better bend than break
- best-laid plans go astray, the
- the best-laid plans
- the best-laid plans go astray