Literal translation
the more you stir the dung heap, the more it stinks
Meaning
the more you stir the muck, the more it stinks
Explanation
The proverb rests on a very concrete agricultural observation: a dung heap left undisturbed gives off a relatively contained smell, but as soon as it is turned over or stirred, the deeper layers rise and the stench intensifies. Applied to human affairs, the image warns that dwelling on an unpleasant story, a scandal, or a quarrel only worsens the bad reputation attached to it, whereas silence might have softened its effects. The word femié means dung heap, but also, by a familiar extension noted in the dictionary, a disreputable person, which adds a further resonance to the saying when applied to a matter of personal reputation. The verb boustiga means to tease or to stir insistently, and sènt comes from senti (to smell, to sense). The register is popular and vividly imagistic, used to advise discretion when facing a delicate matter that is better left alone.