Cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight

proverb KAK-roach nuh BIZ-nis in-a FOWL fight ˈkakroːtʃ nʌ ˈbɪznɪs ɪna faʊl faɪt

Also spelled cockroach nuh have no business inna fowl fight, roach nuh business inna fowl fight

'Cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight' — a cockroach has no business in a fight among fowl. Stay out of quarrels that do not concern you, the proverb warns, or you will get hurt: just as a roach that wandered into a battle of pecking chickens would be trampled and eaten, a person who meddles in others' disputes risks real harm. It counsels minding your own affairs and keeping clear of trouble that is none of yours, since the meddler, like the roach, is the one who suffers.

  • Nuh get involve inna dem argument — cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight.

    Don't get involved in their argument — you have no business in that quarrel.

  • Mi keep out a it. Cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight.

    I stayed out of it. It's not my fight to be in.

  • Him meddle an get lick. Cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight.

    He interfered and got hit. He had no place in that dispute.

A vivid barnyard image common in Jamaican proverbs, where a fragile cockroach among fighting fowls stands for anyone who intrudes into a dangerous quarrel.

Advice to mind your own business, especially in others' conflicts.