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Shona Definition
Kuona mwana muduku otora tsika dzakaipa pamwe anenge ashaya vakuru vanomuratidza tsika nokumuisa mugwara rakanaka roupenyu. Kazhinji vanhu vakashaya chokuita vanogona kutanga kuita zvisina maturo.
English Translation
A dog that takes to chewing hides has no one to hunt with; likewise a child slides into bad habits when no adult bothers to train him, and idle people drift into worthless behaviour.
Cultural Context
“Levelled at parents who leave their children's upbringing to chance.”
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This is a variant of
Imbwa kudya matehwe / kushaya wokuvhima nayeA dog falls back on chewing hides because it has no one to go hunting with. Deprived of the proper occasion, one makes do with a poor substitute.