The French equivalent is “n’esveillez pas lou chien qui dort,” or wake not the sleeping dog. However, I would like to warn the Council to let sleeping dogs lie.

1824 – Sir Walter Scott’s Redgauntlet – “Take my advice, and spear as little about him as he does about you. Mignot and col- leagues have exploited this aspect of canine population biology by establishing a colony of Doberman Pinschers which seg- regates the canine. If someone tells you to let sleeping dogs lie, they are warning you not to disturb or interfere with a situation, because you are likely to cause trouble.

Covil’s Whigs’ Supplication – “It’s best To let a sleeping mastiff rest.

1546 – John Heywood’s Dialogue of Proverbs – “It is euil wakying of a slepying dog. In this example, the phrase let sleeping dogs lie is used to suggest that one should be cautious in letting children know good news before it happens.1385 – it appeared in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde as “It is nought good a slepying hound to wake.”.The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs lists the following appearances, among other 1 Speake, Jennifer. This idiom has existed in some form since at least the 1300’s. That you should ‘let sleeping dogs lie,’ is an old concept.

This last gives a glimpse into the metaphor: If a ‘problem’ isn’t causing any trouble for you, why bring it up? Just like when you wake a sleeping dog, you might get bitten. The idea that some problems are better left unmentioned is such an important concept there are several metaphorical expressions that mean the same thing such as leave well enough alone, (don’t) open a can of worms, don’t rock the boat, and never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you. Translations in context of let sleeping dogs lie in English-Russian from Reverso Context: His.

Let sleeping dogs lie origin