Literal translation
to be a skewer
Meaning
to be a worthless, untrustworthy person
Explanation
This phrase means 'to be a worthless, untrustworthy person, good for nothing'. The word literally denotes a small piece of wood or metal, a stick, a cutting, or a pin, a thin, fragile object of little value on its own, barely useful as an accessory or support for something else. Applied to a person, this image suggests someone one cannot rely on, a shallow or weak-charactered individual, comparable to a mere twig that would snap at the first pressure where real solidity was expected. This shift from the concrete to a moral judgment follows a pattern common in Provençal character descriptions, where a small, fragile object becomes the image of a lack of human reliability. The register is familiar, often used harshly, in a judgment passed on someone who has disappointed or betrayed trust, carrying more weight than the light teasing found in some similar-sounding sayings.