proverb · Legacy record
A cigarette is a pipe with a fire at one end, a fool at the other, and a bit of tobacco in between.
A cigarette is a pipe with a fire at one end, a fool at the other, and a bit of tobacco in between.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying arranges a cigarette as fire, tobacco and a person labelled a fool. It makes a disapproving joke through a concrete object and its user.
What the words are saying
The two ends give the insult a simple visual form. A critical explanation can identify the satire without making the label a diagnosis or a measure of someone’s worth. The line supplies no clinical evidence, cessation method or particular person’s circumstances.
Everyday example
A reader recognises the disapproving cigarette joke without treating its insult as a complete account of a smoker.
When to use it
Use it to analyse a disparaging object-and-user comparison.
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What it does not mean
It is not medical guidance, a diagnosis or a reason to devalue a person.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 142; PDF page 24
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.