A literary idiom/expression that means someone is worthless or express about this imagery ( he is not equal to stitch on the sole)
I have to translate a poem from Arabic into English, so I need an equivalent expression to Arabic imagery.
Solution 1:
There are many such expressions in English. One of the earliest I can recall is
Not worth a tinker's dam.
From Writing Explained website:
There is some disagreement regarding the spelling of this idiom. Some claim it is tinker’s dam while others say it should be tinker’s damn. To understand this, it is important to know that a tinker is a person who travels from one place to another repairing small things like utensils.
An early definition of tinker’s dam, recorded in the year 1877, stated that a tinker’s dam was a piece of doughy material that tinkers would use to hold metal in place when repairing it. The idea was that this material was worthless once the repair was complete, since it couldn’t be reused and could serve no alternative purpose.
However, other early versions of this idiom include a tinker’s curse and a tinker’s cuss. Apparently, back when being a tinker was still a common profession, there was a stereotype that tinkers cursed often. This is similar to the modern stereotype about sailors. If a tinker cursed often, then the severity or importance of each curse would be small. Damn, then and now, is a common curse.
Other expressions:
Not worth a bucket of warm spit
This is how "Cactus Jack" Garner reportedly described the vice-presidency of the United States. And if there is anything less desirable than the contents of such a bucket I don't think I want to know about it.
Not worth the powder it would take to blow [something or someone] to hell
The powder is, of course, gunpowder, and the resulting explosion would cost more than the object of the endeavor was worth.
The game is not worth the candle
This is an old saying referring to cards or some other table game, meaning the game itself or the level of play is so poor as not to be worth the wax that would be used to illuminate it. It is usually extended to mean any pursuit that would yield little profit or enjoyment.