Spiridon Nov 30, 2017:

In the past,in the middle east cities the dough for the bread was made at home and sent to the local bakery to make the bread and deliver it back to the home. In Lebanon there is a common saying that goes like this : "give your bread dough to the Baker to bake.,.. even if he eats half of it"... In other words let the specialist do the job...

Alaa Zeineldine (asker) Nov 29, 2017:

Re: How do you understand this saying? Good to hear from you Fuad! I believe the required meaning is to give a job to the experts (part of a promotion copy for a company), but I will also check to confirm.

Fuad Yahya Nov 29, 2017:

How do you understand this saying? Is this similar to أعط القوس باريها?

Although the general meaning is fairly clear, people seem to use the expression in different ways. I remember this saying being used to mean "The maker of a tool should be expected to be its best user." Nowadays, I hear people using it to mean, "Give a job to the best talent available," which is not quite the same thing.

Even in this newer sense, I have heard it used in two different ways. Negatively, it is used to mean, "The reason this job was done poorly is that it was not given to the right talent." If that is the sense you favor, then Muhammad Atallah's suggestions are perfect. But the expression can also be used positively to mean, "Here is the right talent for this job." For example, when something goes awry with my computer and I try to fix it and then my brother arrives on the scene, that is what I would say as I cede my seat to him asking him to help.