kill the goose that lays the golden egg(s)

To ruin or destroy something that brings one wealth. Firing the programmer who created your most successful app is like killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

See also: golden, goose, kill, lay, that

Kill the goose that lays the golden egg(s).

Prov. To destroy something that is profitable to you. Fred's wife knew he wasn't happy in his job, even though it paid well; still, she felt that advising him to leave it would be killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

See also: egg, golden, goose, kill, lay, that

kill the goose that lays the golden egg

kill the golden goose

If someone or something kills the goose that lays the golden egg or kills the golden goose, they do something which results in an important source of money being stopped or very much reduced. Most people visiting this area do so because of the beautiful countryside. Spoil that, and you'd be killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Everyone wants the business here. They want to keep the clients happy. Nobody wants to be the one to kill the golden goose. Note: You can describe an important source of money as a golden goose, especially when it is in danger of being stopped or very much reduced. It was alleged in court that Jakes had treated Whittaker as a `golden goose'. The days when the manufacturing industry was a golden goose are long gone. Note: This expression comes from Aesop's fable (= traditional story, usually with a moral) about a peasant who owned a goose which laid golden eggs. The peasant was so eager to become rich that he cut the bird open, hoping that he would be able to get all the eggs at once.

See also: egg, golden, goose, kill, lay, that

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

kill the goose that lays the golden egg(s)

destroy a reliable and valuable source of income.

One of Aesop's fables tells the tale of a man who owned a miraculous goose that laid eggs of gold. However, he grew dissatisfied with its production of just one egg a day and killed it in the deluded expectation of finding a large quantity of gold inside it. For brevity's sake, the expression is often shortened (presumably by those unaware of its origin) to kill the golden goose .

1999 New York Times Change is needed in the nation's drug policies…But we need to address the problem carefully in a way that doesn't kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

See also: egg, golden, goose, kill, lay, that

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

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References in periodicals archive

A spokesman for WTM, which kicks off tomorrow at the Excel Centre in Docklands, said: "A tourism tax might seem one solution but, looking at the wider picture, the inbound travel industry would say it would seem wise not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg."

Pay and stay; Travel INSIDERS; Tax visitors to UK, say British tourists

In the end, it will have to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Must the same view that allows government to act heavy-handedly on "sin products" also be the same one that governs revenue policy regarding the mining industry?

Gloomy

A leading lawyer yesterday warned the wages boom threatens to "kill the goose that lays the golden egg".

Who want's to be a drillionaire? North Sea OIL AND GAS WORKERS ARE NOW EARNING AVERAGE SALARY OF PS64,000

"This bill is kind of one-sided, ill-thought-out doles may sound very altruistic and pro-poor, but these are unsustainable and will kill the goose that lays the golden egg," Credai said.

LAND ACQUISITION BILL IRRITATES BUILDERS

There is a danger that they are all getting caught up in too many agendas when there should be only one - singing Be careful you don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg. The public won't be fooled too many times before boredom creeps in.

Their Red Red Whine leaves me so bored

The clear and present danger is that we go over the top with it and we kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

Twenty20 is real deal, especially for players' cash, but Test still tops; COACH MOORES SAYS IPL IS OK BY HIM, BUT COUNTRY COMES FIRST

The fairness of the deal is evidenced by the whiners on both sides--those who argued that any increase in the severance tax would kill the goose that lays the golden egg and those who complained that the compromise left too much money on the table.

A very special session

It was so encouraging to see so much enthusiasm at Chwilog, but please don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg. There are many old faithfuls that go from eisteddfod to eisteddfod, and they need to be encouraged rather than discouraged.

Victim of its own success; EISTEDDFOTA

Can the UK really afford to kill the goose that lays the golden egg?

Letter: Helping to fund our own demise

Would you kill the goose that lays the golden egg?(56) Sharon heralded the benefits that the railroad would bring to workers in the form of reduced transportation costs, higher company profits, and higher wages.

Manly gambles: the politics of risk on the Comstock lode, 1860-1880

But in the present weak economy, and given New York's rent regulatory system, I suspect that high taxes will kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

Hold the line on taxes for 4 years!

'Let us not kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Give to businesses what is due to businesses, and give to employees what is due to them,' the ECCP said.

ECCP backs contractualization

Only idiots kill the goose that lays the golden egg...

YOUR SAY: Net result is no fish