Meanings
- One often neglects those closest to oneself; a tradesman may ironically neglect or postpone his own home's need for his trade's services.
Traditionally, ‘the shoemaker's children go barefoot’; i.e., users of computational statistics ignore statistical issues—such as sensitivity analysis—of their simulation results.
2004, Yuichi Mori, Handbook of Computational Statistics: Concepts and Methods, Springer, →ISBN, page 4982 more examples
So we eventually listened to the unfinished studio CD through his daughter Eve's ghetto blaster. I made the predictable joke about the shoemaker's children who always go barefoot. It had been the same at Elton John's place, Bono revealed.
2005, Michka Assayas, “Faith Versus Luck”, in Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, New York: Riverhead books, →ISBN, page 309Just as the shoemaker's children go barefoot and the carpenter's children live under a leaky roof, I knew this day would come. I am a church worker whose child has stopped going to church.
2022, Valerie Schultz, A Hill of Beans: The Grace of Everyday Troubles, Liturgical Press, →ISBN, page 17Synonyms: the cobbler's children are the worst shod, the cobbler's children go barefoot, the cobbler's children have no shoes, the shoemaker's kids always go barefoot, the shoemaker's son always goes barefoot
Synonyms & antonyms
proverbOne often neglects those closest to oneself; a tradesman may ironically neglect or postpone his own home's need for his trade's services.
Translations
Basque errementariaren etxean, zotza burduntzi
- errementariaren etxean, zotza burduntzione often neglects those closest to oneself
Czech kovářova kobyla chodí bosa
- kovářova kobyla chodí bosaone often neglects those closest to oneself
Danish smedens hest og skomagerens kone har ofte de dårligste sko
- smedens hest og skomagerens kone har ofte de dårligste skoone often neglects those closest to oneself
Dutch de kinderen van de schoenmaker gaan barrevoets
- de kinderen van de schoenmaker gaan barrevoetsone often neglects those closest to oneself
Esperanto ĉe botisto la ŝuo estas ĉiam kun truo
- ĉe botisto la ŝuo estas ĉiam kun truoone often neglects those closest to oneself
Finnish suutarin lapsilla ei ole kenkiä
- suutarin lapsilla ei ole kenkiäone often neglects those closest to oneself
French les cordonniers sont toujours les plus mal chaussés
- les cordonniers sont toujours les plus mal chaussésone often neglects those closest to oneself
German die Kinder des Schusters haben die schlechtesten Schuhe
- die Kinder des Schusters haben die schlechtesten Schuheone often neglects those closest to oneself
Italian in casa del ciabattino le scarpe sono sfondate, il figlio del calzolaio va in giro con le scarpe rotte
- in casa del ciabattino le scarpe sono sfondateone often neglects those closest to oneself
- il figlio del calzolaio va in giro con le scarpe rotteone often neglects those closest to oneself
- il calzolaio ha le scarpe rotteone often neglects those closest to oneself
- il sarto va con i calzoni strappatione often neglects those closest to oneself
Malay anak kera di hutan disusui, anak sendiri di rumah kebuluran
- anak kera di hutan disusui, anak sendiri di rumah kebuluranone often neglects those closest to oneself
Polish szewc bez butów chodzi
- szewc bez butów chodzione often neglects those closest to oneself
Portuguese em casa de ferreiro, espeto de pau, em casa de ferreiro, o espeto é de pau
- em casa de ferreiro, espeto de pauone often neglects those closest to oneself
- em casa de ferreiro, o espeto é de pauone often neglects those closest to oneself
- casa de ferreiro, espeto de pauone often neglects those closest to oneself
Spanish en casa de herrero, cuchillo de palo
- en casa de herrero, cuchillo de paloone often neglects those closest to oneself
Swedish skomakarens hustru och smedens märr är alltid sämst skodda
- skomakarens hustru och smedens märr är alltid sämst skoddaone often neglects those closest to oneself
Turkish terzi kendi söküğünü dikemez
- terzi kendi söküğünü dikemezone often neglects those closest to oneself
Cite this entry
the shoemaker's children go barefoot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20shoemaker's%20children%20go%20barefoot
“the shoemaker's children go barefoot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20shoemaker's%20children%20go%20barefoot. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the shoemaker's children go barefoot,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20shoemaker's%20children%20go%20barefoot.
Source: the shoemaker's children go barefoot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.