the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing

English

Etymology

Compare the Bible, Matthew 6:3: "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

Phrase

the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing

1. Two parts of an organization are unaware of each other's activities.

Usage notes

• Appears in other similar forms, such as "the left hand rarely knows what the right hand is doing" and "does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?".

Translations

two parts of an organization are unaware of each other's activities

• Finnish: vasen käsi ei tiedä mitä oikea tekee
• Hungarian: nem tudja a bal kéz, mit csinál a jobb
• Polish: niech lewa ręka nie wie, co czyni prawa
• Portuguese: a mão esquerda não sabe o que faz a direita
• Spanish: la mano izquierda no sabe lo que hace la derecha