One KNOWS not where to have you

Insights

Unpredictability and Inconsistency

The proverb describes a person who is highly inconsistent in their opinions, behavior, or allegiances, making it impossible to predict what they will do or think. This is reinforced by the cross-reference to being as 'wavering as the weathercock'.

Ambiguity and Evasiveness

It refers to someone who is deliberately evasive, non-committal, or ambiguous. As Shakespeare's citation 'neither fish nor flesh' vividly illustrates, such a person cannot be clearly defined or understood.

Lack of Reliability

The expression conveys a deep sense of unreliability. Because the person is so changeable or vague, they cannot be counted on for support, and their true intentions remain hidden, making them untrustworthy.

Psychology of Categorization

The proverb touches on the fundamental human desire to categorize others to predict their behavior. When someone defies easy classification, as in Shakespeare's 'neither fish nor flesh', it creates social and psychological unease, making them seem untrustworthy.

Historical Judgment of Loyalty

In historical contexts, particularly evident in Shakespeare's plays, knowing 'where to have' someone was vital for political and social survival. Ambiguity could signal a traitor or an unreliable ally, making this a high-stakes judgment of character and loyalty.

Interpersonal Frustration

The phrase reveals the speaker's own frustration and feeling of powerlessness when faced with an unpredictable individual. It is as much a comment on the speaker's need for certainty as it is a criticism of the other's inconsistency.

Rhetorical Devices

Idiomatic Expression

The power of the proverb lies in its idiomatic nature, where 'to have' someone means to understand, define, or rely on them, not to physically possess them.

Metaphor

The concept of physical location ('where') serves as a metaphor for a stable psychological or social position. The inability to 'place' someone physically is mapped onto the inability to understand them mentally.

Direct Address

The use of the second-person 'you' makes the proverb a direct, personal statement, often used as a confrontation or an expression of exasperation with another's behavior.