He pays him with PEN POWDER

Insights

Insincerity in Settlement

Represents the act of evading real obligations by offering only paperwork, promises, or eloquent words—substituting substance with appearance.

The Limits of Rhetoric

Highlights how persuasive language or written agreements can sometimes mask a lack of true commitment or material follow-through.

Critique of Bureaucracy

Can serve as a satirical jab at excessive reliance on documents and bureaucracy, where official words or signatures replace genuine action or responsibility.

Historical Commercial Practice

Reflects a period when written IOUs, drafts, or formal letters were frequently used in commerce, sometimes as stalling tactics by those unwilling or unable to pay promptly in coin.

Social Trust and Skepticism

The proverb embodies skepticism about the value of promises versus concrete payment, reflecting the broader human wariness toward those who 'talk' rather than 'do.'

Enduring Relevance

Variants of this complaint are found in many languages, capturing a universal frustration with empty gestures or symbolic settlements in place of genuine restitution.

Rhetorical Devices

Metonymy

'Pen powder' stands in for writing, signatures, or rhetoric, vividly suggesting that only ink, not substance, is being expended.

Wordplay

The phrase humorously likens ink ('pen powder') to gunpowder, evoking the idea of a discharge or payment that is ultimately insubstantial.

Irony

There is a sharp irony in substituting real value with the mere semblance of it—exposing the emptiness of the transaction.