Never Send an X to Do a Y's Job

A stock phrase, said when one character has to take care of something another tried and failed to do. The most common variant is with Y being "a man's job".

Examples of Never Send an X to Do a Y's Job include:

Advertising

• Budweiser ran a series of ads during the 1997 Superbowl about the "Bud"-"weis"-"er" frogs. Louey the Lizard puts out a hit on them, sending a ferret to knock over the Bud sign and electrocute the pond. er... yeah. Anyway, it produces this gem:

Louey: "Never hire a ferret to do a weasel's job!" (Watch it here, the quote is at 1:46).

Comic Books

• In Punisher Noir, the Russian is informed of Barracuda and Jigsaw's deaths at the hands of the Punisher. Being the third assassin who killed the Punisher's father, it's easy to guess who's next. The Russian, now a woman, isn't concerned. "You know what they say — Never send man to do woman's job."

Film

• The Matrix: After Cypher fails in his mission:

Agent Smith: Never send a human to do a machine's job.

• The 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes: When Capt. Leo Davidson goes out after Pericles, the monkey test pilot.

Leo: Never send a monkey to do a man's job.

• Hackers:

Kate Libby: Never send a boy to do a woman's job.

• Charlie's Angels:

Vivian: Never send a man to do a woman's job.

• Rio.

Nigel: Never send a monkey to do a bird's job.

• Spy Kids. When their uncle Machete refuses to help Carmen and Juni to rescue their parents from Floop.

Carmen: Never send an adult to do a kid's job.

• Gay Purr-ee

Meowrice: Never send kittens to do a cat's job.

Literature

• 1931 G. Fowler Great Mouthpiece xii: Mr. Alfred J. Talley... took command of the prosecution. He was an able man. ...'It's about time they gave me a run for the money,' Fallon said. 'The People shouldn't send boys on men's errands.' [1931 G. Fowler Great Mouthpiece xii.]
• 1941 T. Chanslor Our Second Murder xxviii: "Never send a boy to do a man's work."
• 1967 E. Mc Girr Hearse with Horses vi: "He blushed. Piron thought that he shouldn't have sent a boy to do a man's job."
• Never Send a Dog to do a Woman's Job: book title by Shelley Munro

Live Action TV

• The Rockford Files episode title "Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job".
• The 1989 Ice Capades included a skit based on Super Mario Bros.:

King Koopa: Just as I thought. Those foolish Mario Brothers have sent boys out to do a man's work.

Newspaper

• "Research proves that in more than 99 percent of these cases, the defender who has overruffed endears himself by uttering the old cliche, 'Never send a boy to do a man's job.'" - 1987 Washington Post 21 Jan. D10

TV Tropes

• From a forum discussion:

Never send a spear to do a javelin's work.

Web Comics

• Touhou Nekokayou:

Wriggle: Yeesh... never send a lesbian to do a bisexual crossdresser's job.

Video Game

• Space Quest V had "Never send a Mandroid to do a Womandroid's work.

Web Original

• Dragon Ball Abridged:

Zarbon: Never send a lady to do a man's job.

Western Animation

• A Garfield Christmas:

Garfield: Never send a man to do a cat's job.

• In the 1952 Looney Tunes short Rabbit Seasoning, after Daffy gets shot after checking to see if Elmer Fudd was nearby (both Bugs and Daffy were hiding in a rabbit hole), he passes out; leading Bugs to invoke the phrase before getting himself all dolled up.
  • From another Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Water, Water Every Hare":

Evil Scientist: Never send a monster to do the job of an evil scientist.

• • And the definitive quote, from the bulldong in "Hippety Hopper":

No use in sendin' a boy to do a man's job.

• The Penguins of Madagascar: "Never send a lemur to do a penguin's job."