Meaning of at home blacksmith stick knife (what is it, concept and definition)

What is At home blacksmith stick knife:

"Blacksmith's knife stick" is a popular saying that refers to the paradox that certain things are missing in places where they should abound. As such, it is a saying originating in Spain and very popular both in Spain and in America.

In this sense, it is a saying that hides a certain warning to those who neglect in their own home the things with which, outside of it, they earn their bread.

Thus, it is interpreted that in a blacksmith's house it should be, precisely, the place where utensils and instruments should be carved in iron. Hence, the saying points to the paradox of some life situations: a chef who never cooks at home, the broken car of a mechanic or the neglected teeth of the children of a dentist.

This saying, however, has some variations. The oldest is "in the blacksmith's house, the mangorrero knife", where by "mangorrero knife" we understand a certain kind of rough and badly forged knife.

Likewise, today they can also be heard: "in the blacksmith's house, wooden hammer", "in the blacksmith's house, wood spit", "in the blacksmith's house, wood spit", "in the blacksmith's house, wooden hoe" or "at the blacksmith's house, a wooden spoon." This latter variant, however, is the result of hypercorrection whereby it is absurd to think of a knife made of wood, so the knife has been exchanged for the spoon.

In English, the equivalent saying would be “the shoemaker's are always goes barefoot ”, which translates “the shoemaker's son always goes barefoot”.

Finally, the saying can also refer to children who do not follow the same career as their parents.