# cobbler, keep to your last

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/cobbler-keep-to-your-last
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

One should not criticise matters outside one's field of expertise; one should mind one's business.

## Examples

- You should stick to your job and cobbler, keep to your last.
- The accountant tried to tell the doctor how to perform surgery, but the doctor told him to cobbler, keep to your last.
- While the amateur critic offered unsolicited advice on the complex architectural plans, the lead engineer politely reminded him that a cobbler should keep to his last.

## Origin

From last (“a tool for shaping shoes”), related to the Latin phrase sutor, ne ultra crepidam.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.