To do and undo, the task of the mattress repairer

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Val. «Fer i desfer, la faena del matalafer»

Este comentari es diu amb to de queixa quan una faena que ja estava prou avançada s’ha de mamprendre de nou des del principi, o bé quan algú canvia un pla que ja estava establit. L’expressió menciona l’ofici del matalafer: antigament, la gent no es comprava un matalaf nou quan el que tenien estava ja vell i deformat, sinó que cridaven el matalafer, que s’encarregava de reparar-lo, obrint-lo i donant-li forma de nou amb un pal.

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You say this sentence, with a slight tone of complaint, when some task has to be set again from the beginning, and also when somebody changes a plan which was already drawn up. The expression mentions the job of the mattress repairer: long ago in Valencian country people did not buy a new mattress when the old one was used up, as we do nowadays. At that time they called the mattress repairer, who took the mattress, opened the cover and gave it shape again by beating the material of the inside (for example, wool) with a stick.