Learn English – n English equivalent of the Hindi saying “sau chuhe maar billi haj ko chali”? (After killing/eating 100 mice, the cat goes on a pilgrimage)

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In Hindi language, there is a prevalent saying:

sau chuhe maar billi haj ko chali

which, if directly translated into English, becomes

After killing/eating 100 mice, the cat goes on a pilgrimage

I think the translation is enough to convey the essence of the proverb. However, it doesn't quite pack the punch as its Hindi counterpart.

So what I am looking for is a similar proverb in English.

UPDATE

So, apparently, the translation conveys the essence to me due to my hindsight knowledge. My apologies.

Though I am not aware of the etymology – I picked the proverb from day-to-day usage – I can explain its essence. Basically, it could be used to describe a situation in which an entity, after intentionally inflicting a heavy damage, performs some 'good' deed, often as a cover-up.

I will try to put some context to the usage through examples.

  • A conglomerate, after ravaging a diverse ecosystem and profiting out of it, goes on to donate some negligible amount of money as part of Corporate Social Responsibility.

  • It could also be applied to the case of that guy, Jimmy Swaggart, repenting in public.

I hope this clears the air.

Best Answer

John Ray, A Collection of English Proverbs (1678) offers an English saying that expresses the gist of the Hindi proverb you relate:

Steal the goose, and give the giblets in alms.

The underlying notion here is that a thief may take a thing of relatively great value for himself and then donate a pittance from his ill-gotten gains to the poor as proof of his charity or magnanimity. More broadly, the proverb criticizes individuals who take what isn't rightfully theirs, give a mite of it back, and then claim to be people of great philanthropy or piety.

Although I have never heard a person in real life repeat this proverb, it has appeared in many collections of English proverbs over the centuries, including The Macmillan Book of Proverbs, Maxims, and Famous Phrases (1948). Evidently, a saying from Spain uses a pig instead of a goose to make the same point. Henry Spence-Jones, The Pulpit Commentary, volume 4 (a nineteenth-century text), after repeating the goose-and-giblets proverb, mentions this Spanish alternative:

"Huerto el puerco, y darlos pies por Dios," "Steal the pig, and give away the pettitoes [trotters] for God's sake."