don't shit where you eat
1
9.9
- idiom
- Offensive
:
no mezclar lo personal con lo profesional
- She learned the hard way why it's best to don't shit where you eat.
Examples
-
Office romances rarely end well; it's usually smart to don't shit where you eat.
-
He warned me, don't shit where you eat, after I started dating someone from the office.
-
Remember, don't shit where you eat!
-
It's important to not shit where you eat in the office.
-
My boss told me to remember: don't shit where you eat, so I keep my personal life separate from work.
-
He reminded his team with a grin, "Just remember: don't shit where you eat, especially with clients around."
-
In order to maintain professionalism, she advised, "Please don't shit where you eat; it’s best to keep business and pleasure apart."
How Risky
- Informal
6
6.7
- Offensive
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
don't + shit + where + you + eat
The phrase literally combines known words (don’t + shit + where + you + eat) so a learner can grasp the literal image of fouling the place where one eats, but the intended meaning—avoid mixing personal/sexual/romantic relationships with places of work or other important contexts—is a metaphorical/pragmatic extension that requires cultural and inferential knowledge. The vulgar register and idiomatic pragmatic use make the link only partially predictable to a B1 learner who merely knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Don't shit where you eat creates a strong picture: to shit where you eat is to make the place you need for food dirty. So it warns 'do not mix your personal life with your work', because that can ruin both and cause trouble.