Can someone tell me what this proverb means?

Question

The pot-lid is always badly off; the pot gets all the sweet, and the lid gets nothing but steam.

Answer 1

I've never heard it before, but the literal meaning is pretty clear. The analogy would be that the person doing one part of a task gets all the benefit while someone else on the team just takes the flak and gets no thanks.

Answer 2

Hmmm...where did you get this phrase from? It is pretty confusing. Perhaps you have to think behind and/or outsid the box in order to truly understand its meaning. Good luck!