Languagle #2: Persian
گنه کرد در بلخ آهنگری، به شوشتر زدند گردن مسگری
Gonah kard dar Balkh āhangari, be Shushtar zadand gardan-e mesgari
"A blacksmith committed a crime in Balkh, and they beheaded a coppersmith in Shushtar."
What it means
Used when the wrong person is blamed or punished for a crime committed by someone else, especially when whoever is in charge gets it wrong through incompetence rather than malice.
What kind of saying it is
Oral tradition. In Persian, a ضربالمثل. Passed down by word of mouth. Sayings like this have no single author.
Where it comes from
In the story behind it, a ruler ordered a blacksmith in Balkh executed for a crime and sent the order by messenger pigeon, but the bird flew to Shushtar instead. Shushtar had no blacksmith, so its governor, assuming the order used a different regional word for the trade, executed the city's only coppersmith in his place.
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