viel Feind, viel Ehr
German
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Literally, “many foes, much honour”. The forms viel Feind for viele Feinde and Ehr for Ehre reflect Early Modern German apocope, which was a general phenomenon in the majority of dialects, but only partially established itself in the written standard.
Proverb
[edit]- the more enemies one has, the more honour one is due (for example, because it proves one to be independent and upright)