Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, Thematic Index

Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, Thematic Index: absence
\ - absence makes the heart grow fonder

\ - he who is absent is always in the wrong

\ - the best of friends must part

\ - blue are the hills that are far away

\ - distance lends enchantment to the view

\ - out of sight, out of mind
\ abuse, verbal
see malice; slander
\ accidents
see under misfortune
\ action and consequence
\ - after the feast comes the reckoning

\ - another day, another dollar

\ - ask a silly question and you get a silly answer

\ - as you bake, so shall you brew

\ - as you brew, so shall you bake

\ - catching’s before hanging

\ - crime doesn’t pay

\ - they that dance must pay the fiddler

\ - do right and fear no man

\ - he that drinks beer, thinks beer

\ - the end justifies the means

\ - garbage in, garbage out

\ - ill gotten goods never thrive

\ - in for a penny, in for a pound

\ - as you make your bed, so you must lie upon it

\ - the nail that sticks up gets hammered down

\ - one year’s seeding makes seven years’ weeding

\ - he who pays the piper calls the tune

\ - he who plants thorns should not expect to gather roses

\ - if you play with fire you get burnt

\ - who won’t be ruled by the rudder must be ruled by the rock

\ - who says A must say B

\ - as you sow, so you reap

\ - they that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind

\ - the more you stir it the worse it stinks

\ - for want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost

\ - wilful waste makes woeful want

\ - he who wills the end, wills the means
\ action and inaction
see also words and deeds

\ - as good be an addled egg as an idle bird

\ - the better the day, the better the deed

\ - better to light one candle than to curse the darkness

\ - better to live one day as a tiger than a thousand years as a sheep

\ - better to wear out than to rust out

\ - councils of war never fight

\ - delays are dangerous

\ - when in doubt, do nowt

\ - the road to hell is paved with good intentions

\ - if you sit by the river for long enough, you will see the body of your enemy float by

\ - let sleeping dogs lie

\ - use it or lose it
\ adversity
see also good fortune

\ - adversity makes strange bedfellows

\ - the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church

\ - the devil was sick, the devil a saint would be; the devil was well, the devil a saint was he!

\ - a friend in need is a friend indeed

\ - if life hands you lemons, make lemonade
\ advice
\ - a fool may give a wise man counsel

\ - night brings counsel

\ - don’t teach your grandmother to suck eggs
\ age
see middle age; old age; youth
\ agreement
see under harmony and disharmony
\ ambition
\ - hasty climbers have sudden falls

\ - the higher the monkey climbs the more he shows his tail

\ - if you are not the lead dog, the view never changes

\ - up like a rocket, down like a stick

\ - there is always room at the top

\ - many go out for wool and come home shorn
\ anger
\ - a little pot is soon hot

\ - a soft answer turneth away wrath

\ - never let the sun go down on your anger

\ - it takes two to make a quarrel
\ animals
\ - feed a dog for three days and he will remember your kindness for three years; feed a cat for three years and she will forget your kindness in three days

\ - dogs look up to you, cats look down on you, pigs is equal
\ anticipation
see expectation
\ appearance
\ - be what you would seem to be

\ - a blind man’s wife needs no paint

\ - a carpenter is known by his chips

\ - handsome is as handsome does

\ - please your eye and plague your heart

\ - pretty is as pretty does

\ - the proof of the pudding is in the eating

\ - the tree is known by its fruit
\ appearance, deceptive
\ - an ape’s an ape, a varlet’s a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet

\ - appearances are deceptive

\ - beauty is only skin-deep

\ - you can’t tell a book by its cover

\ - never choose your women or your linen by candlelight

\ - the cowl does not make the monk

\ - all that glitters is not gold

\ - there’s many a good cock come out of a tattered bag

\ - there’s many a good tune played on an old fiddle

\ - no matter how long a log stays in the water, it doesn’t become a crocodile

\ - still waters run deep
\ appearance, significant
\ - clothes make the man

\ - the eyes are the window of the soul

\ - fine feathers make fine birds

\ - first impressions are the most lasting

\ - a good horse cannot be of a bad colour

\ - what you see is what you get
\ army
see under soldiers
\ assistance
\ - every little helps

\ - four eyes see more than two

\ - many hands make light work

\ - a mouse may help a lion

\ - if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem

\ - everyone speaks well of the bridge which carries him over

\ - too many cooks spoil the broth

\ - two heads are better than one

\ - do not call a wolf to help you against the dogs
\ associates
see also example, good and bad; friends

\ - where bees are, there is honey

\ - big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite them, and little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum

\ - birds of a feather flock together

\ - Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion

\ - where the carcase is, there shall the eagles be gathered together

\ - a man is known by the company he keeps

\ - the devil looks after his own

\ - if you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas

\ - love me, love my dog

\ - more people know Tom Fool than Tom Fool knows

\ - politics makes strange bedfellows

\ - if there were no receivers, there would be no thieves

\ - the rotten apple injures its neighbour

\ - there is safety in numbers

\ - the sun loses nothing by shining into a puddle

\ - he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon

\ - he that touches pitch shall be defiled
\ badness
see good and evil; wrong-doers
\ beauty
\ - beauty draws with a single hair

\ - beauty is in the eye of the beholder

\ - beauty is only skin-deep

\ - please your eye and plague your heart
\ beginnings and endings
see also finality

\ - it is the first step that is difficult

\ - there is always a first time

\ - a good beginning makes a good ending

\ - great oaks from little acorns grow

\ - the longest journey begins with a single step

\ - the mother of mischief is no bigger than a midge’s wing

\ - all roads lead to Rome

\ - good seed makes a good crop

\ - the sooner begun, the sooner done

\ - as you sow, so you reap

\ - a stream cannot rise above its source

\ - well begun is half done

\ - all’s well that ends well
\ behaviour
see conduct; human nature
\ bigness
see under great and small
\ bird lore
\ - one for sorrow, two for mirth; three for a wedding, four for a birth

\ - the robin and the wren are God’s cock and hen; the martin and the swallow are God’s mate and marrow
\ blessings
\ - blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed

\ - blessings brighten as they take their flight

\ - happy is the bride that the sun shines on

\ - happy is the country which has no history

\ - blessed are the dead that the rain rains on

\ - you never miss the water till the well runs dry
\ boasting
\ - Brag is a good dog, but Holdfast is better

\ - empty vessels make the most sound

\ - one Englishman can beat three Frenchmen

\ - the kumara does not speak of its own sweetness

\ - much cry and little wool

\ - self-praise is no recommendation

\ - talk is cheap
\ boldness
see also courage

\ - adventures are to the adventurous

\ - attack is the best form of defence

\ - better to live one day as a tiger than a thousand years as a sheep

\ - the best defense is a good offense

\ - faint heart never won fair lady

\ - you never know what you can do till you try

\ - if you gently touch a nettle it’ll sting you for your pains; grasp it like a lad of mettle, an’ as soft as silk remains

\ - nothing so bold as a blind mare

\ - nothing venture, nothing gain

\ - nothing venture, nothing have

\ - put a stout heart to a stey brae
\ borrowing and lending
\ - neither a borrower nor a lender be

\ - the early man never borrows from the late man

\ - he that goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing

\ - lend your money and lose your friend
\ bravery
see courage
\ brevity and long-windedness
\ - brevity is the soul of wit

\ - a great book is a great evil

\ - length begets loathing
\ bribery and corruption
\ - every man has his price

\ - there’s no such thing as a free lunch

\ - a golden key can open any door

\ - kissing goes by favour

\ - it’s not what you know, it’s who you know
\ business
\ - business before pleasure

\ - business is war

\ - corporations have neither bodies to be punished nor souls to be damned

\ - every man to his trade

\ - money has no smell

\ - where there’s muck there’s brass

\ - punctuality is the soul of business

\ - sell in May and go away

\ - short reckonings make long friends

\ - trade follows the flag

\ - there are tricks in every trade

\ - two of a trade never agree
\ busybodies
see also eavesdroppers

\ - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

\ - let the cobbler stick to his last

\ - everybody’s business is nobody’s business

\ - lay-overs for meddlers

\ - let well alone

\ - let sleeping dogs lie

\ - the more you stir it the worse it stinks

\ - too many cooks spoil the broth
\ buying and selling
see also business

\ - buy in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest

\ - you buy land, you buy stones; you buy meat, you buy bones

\ - let the buyer beware

\ - the buyer has need of a hundred eyes, the seller of but one

\ - the customer is always right

\ - a moneyless man goes fast through the market

\ - sell in May and go away

\ - it takes two to make a bargain

\ - one white foot, buy him; two white feet, try him; three white feet, look well about him; four white feet, go without him

\ - the worth of a thing is what it will bring
\ calendar lore
see also weather lore

\ - Barnaby bright, Barnaby bright, the longest day and the shortest night

\ - Candlemas day, put beans in the clay; put candles and candle-sticks away

\ - ne’er cast a clout till May be out

\ - February fill dyke, be it black or be it white

\ - on the first of March, the crows begin to search

\ - marry in May, rue for aye

\ - May chickens come cheeping

\ - no moon, no man

\ - on Saint Thomas the Divine kill all turkeys, geese, and swine

\ - it is not spring until you can plant your foot upon twelve daisies

\ - a swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly

\ - sweep the house with broom in May, you sweep the head of the house away
\ caution
see also discretion; risk

\ - let the buyer beware

\ - the buyer has need of a hundred eyes, the seller of but one

\ - be careful what you pray for, you might get it

\ - if you can’t be good, be careful

\ - look before you leap

\ - measure seven times, cut once

\ - measure twice, cut once

\ - those who play at bowls must look out for rubbers

\ - one step at a time

\ - he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon

\ - three things are not to be trusted: a cow’s horn, a dog’s tooth, and a horse’s hoof

\ - think twice, cut once
\ certainty and uncertainty
\ - nothing is certain but death and taxes

\ - nothing is certain but the unforeseen

\ - the unexpected always happens
\ change
see also constancy and inconstancy; innovation

\ - there are no birds in last year’s nest

\ - a change is as good as a rest

\ - new lords, new laws

\ - nothing is for ever

\ - one nail drives out another

\ - other times, other manners

\ - three removals are as bad as a fire
\ character
see human nature
\ charity
\ - charity begins at home

\ - charity covers a multitude of sins

\ - he gives twice who gives quickly

\ - keep your own fish-guts for your own sea-maws
\ children
\ - Monday’s child is fair of face

\ - the child is the father of the man

\ - children and fools tell the truth

\ - children should be seen and not heard

\ - out of the mouths of babes

\ - no moon, no man

\ - spare the rod and spoil the child

\ - as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

\ - it takes a whole village to bring up a child
\ children and parents
see also family

\ - children are certain cares, but uncertain comforts

\ - clergymen’s sons always turn out badly

\ - like father, like son

\ - like mother, like daughter

\ - praise the child, and you make love to the mother

\ - my son is my son till he gets him a wife, but my daughter’s my daughter all the days of her life

\ - walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs

\ - it is a wise child that knows its own father
\ choices
see also decision and indecision

\ - a door must either be shut or open

\ - of two evils choose the less

\ - many are called but few are chosen

\ - you pays your money and you takes your choice

\ - you cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

\ - small choice in rotten apples
\ Christianity
\ - the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church

\ - the Church is an anvil which has worn out many hammers

\ - meat and mass never hindered man

\ - the nearer the church, the farther from God
\ circumstances
\ - there are no birds in last year’s nest

\ - circumstances alter cases

\ - cut your coat according to your cloth

\ - no matter how long a log stays in the water, it doesn’t become a crocodile

\ - it is a long lane that has no turning

\ - new lords, new laws

\ - other times, other manners

\ - when in Rome, do as the Romans do

\ - stretch your arm no further than your sleeve will reach

\ - everyone stretches his legs according to the length of his coverlet

\ - times change and we with time
\ civility
see manners; politeness
\ cleanliness
\ - cleanliness is next to godliness

\ - if every man would sweep his own doorstep the city would soon be clean
\ clothing
see dress
\ coercion
see free will and compulsion
\ coincidence
\ - great minds think alike

\ - talk of the devil, and he is bound to appear
\ common sense
see under discretion; prudence
\ company
see associates; friends
\ compassion
see pity
\ compulsion
see free will and compulsion
\ concealment
\ - those who hide can find

\ - love and a cough cannot be hid

\ - murder will out

\ - three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead

\ - truth lies at the bottom of a well

\ - truth will out
\ conduct
see also politeness

\ - Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion

\ - if the cap fits, wear it

\ - evil communications corrupt good manners

\ - what can you expect from a pig but a grunt?

\ - he is a good dog who goes to church

\ - handsome is as handsome does

\ - one might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb

\ - honesty is the best policy

\ - you can’t please everyone

\ - pretty is as pretty does

\ - when in Rome, do as the Romans do

\ - if the shoe fits, wear it

\ - it is ill sitting at Rome and striving with the Pope
\ confession
\ - confess and be hanged

\ - confession is good for the soul

\ - a fault confessed is half redressed
\ conscience
\ - conscience makes cowards of us all

\ - a clean conscience is a good pillow

\ - corporations have neither bodies to be punished nor souls to be damned

\ - do right and fear no man

\ - evil doers are evil dreaders

\ - he who excuses, accuses himself

\ - a guilty conscience needs no accuser
\ consequences
see action and consequence
\ constancy and inconstancy
see also change

\ - a dog is for life, not just for Christmas

\ - the leopard does not change his spots

\ - love me little, love me long

\ - it is best to be off with the old love before you are on with the new

\ - once a —, always a —

\ - once a priest, always a priest

\ - once a whore, always a whore

\ - a rolling stone gathers no moss
\ content and discontent
\ - all’s for the best in the best of all possible worlds

\ - better a dinner of herbs than a stalled ox where hate is

\ - better are small fish than an empty dish

\ - blue are the hills that are far away

\ - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

\ - enough is as good as a feast

\ - enough is enough

\ - go further and fare worse

\ - God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world

\ - the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

\ - what you’ve never had you never miss

\ - half a loaf is better than no bread

\ - the half is better than the whole

\ - if you would be happy for a week take a wife; if you would be happy for a month kill a pig; but if you would be happy all your life plant a garden

\ - home is home though it’s never so homely

\ - home is where the heart is

\ - let well alone

\ - there’s no place like home

\ - do not grieve that rose-trees have thorns, rather rejoice that thorny bushes bear roses

\ - something is better than nothing
\ co-operation
see also assistance; reciprocity

\ - if two ride on a horse, one must ride behind

\ - it takes two to tango

\ - one volunteer is worth two pressed men
\ corruption
see bribery and corruption
\ courage
see also boldness

\ - better to die on your feet than live on your knees

\ - none but the brave deserve the fair

\ - brave men lived before Agamemnon

\ - fortune favours the brave
\ cowardice
\ - a bully is always a coward

\ - conscience makes cowards of us all

\ - cowards die many times before their death

\ - don’t cry before you’re hurt
\ credulity
see trust and scepticism
\ cunning
see guile
\ curiosity
\ - ask no questions and hear no lies

\ - curiosity killed the cat

\ - lay-overs for meddlers
\ danger
see peril
\ death
\ - good Americans when they die go to Paris

\ - every bullet has its billet

\ - let the dead bury the dead

\ - blessed are the dead that the rain rains on

\ - death is the great leveller

\ - death pays all debts

\ - you can only die once

\ - every elm has its man

\ - one funeral makes many

\ - whom the gods love die young

\ - the good die young

\ - a green Yule makes a fat churchyard

\ - there is a remedy for everything except death

\ - shrouds have no pockets

\ - stone-dead hath no fellow

\ - as a tree falls, so shall it lie

\ - young men may die, but old men must die
\ deception
see also guile

\ - appearances are deceptive

\ - fear the Greeks bearing gifts

\ - fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me

\ - the husband is always the last to know

\ - in vain the net is spread in the sight of the bird

\ - promises, like pie-crust, are made to be broken
\ decision and indecision
see also choices

\ - between two stools one falls to the ground

\ - the cat would eat fish, but would not wet her feet

\ - don’t change horses in mid-stream

\ - councils of war never fight

\ - when in doubt, do nowt

\ - first thoughts are best

\ - he who hesitates is lost

\ - if you run after two hares you will catch neither
\ deeds
see action and inaction; words and deeds
\ democracy
see equality; rulers and ruled
\ deserts
see just deserts
\ desire
see wanting and having
\ despair
see hope and despair
\ desperation
see necessity
\ destiny
see fate and fatalism
\ destruction
\ - it is easier to pull down than to build up

\ - don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
\ diet
see food and drink; health
\ difficulties
see misfortune; trouble
\ diligence
\ - where bees are, there is honey

\ - the busiest men have the most leisure

\ - diligence is the mother of good luck

\ - the early bird catches the worm

\ - early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise

\ - genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains

\ - practice makes perfect

\ - there is no royal road to learning

\ - seek and ye shall find
\ disappointment
\ - blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed

\ - hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper

\ - jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today

\ - he that lives in hope dances to an ill tune

\ - there’s many a slip between cup and lip
\ discipline
\ - when the cat’s away, the mice will play

\ - who won’t be ruled by the rudder must be ruled by the rock

\ - spare the rod and spoil the child
\ discretion
see also caution

\ - discretion is the better part of valour

\ - he who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day

\ - least said, soonest mended

\ - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

\ - a shut mouth catches no flies

\ - think first and speak afterwards

\ - three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead

\ - one does not wash one’s dirty linen in public
\ dishonesty
see under honesty and dishonesty
\ dissimilarity
see similarity and dissimilarity
\ division
see unity and division
\ doctors
\ - an apple a day keeps the doctor away

\ - the best doctors are Dr Diet, Dr Quiet, and Dr Merryman

\ - laughter is the best medicine

\ - physician, heal thyself
\ dreams
\ - dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage

\ - dreams go by contraries

\ - morning dreams come true
\ dress
\ - ne’er cast a clout till May be out

\ - clothes make the man

\ - fine feathers make fine birds

\ - nine tailors make a man
\ drink
see under food and drink
\ drunkenness
\ - he that drinks beer, thinks beer

\ - there is truth in wine

\ - when the wine is in, the wit is out
\ eavesdroppers
\ - fields have eyes, and woods have ears

\ - listeners never hear any good of themselves

\ - little pitchers have large ears

\ - walls have ears
\ economy, false
see meanness
\ education
see learning; nature and nurture
\ efficiency and inefficiency
\ - a bad workman blames his tools

\ - never send a boy to do a man’s job

\ - two boys are half a boy, and three boys are no boy at all

\ - the busiest men have the most leisure

\ - he who can, does; he who cannot, teaches

\ - it doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice

\ - a cat in gloves catches no mice

\ - the early bird catches the worm

\ - horses for courses

\ - idle people have the least leisure

\ - keep no more cats than will catch mice

\ - keep your shop and your shop will keep you

\ - what matters is what works

\ - never put off till tomorrow what you can do today

\ - if you can’t ride two horses at once, you shouldn’t be in the circus

\ - if you would be well served, serve yourself

\ - a short horse is soon curried

\ - the sooner begun, the sooner done

\ - speak softly and carry a big stick

\ - time is money

\ - he travels fastest who travels alone

\ - if you want a thing done well, do it yourself

\ - if you want something done, ask a busy person

\ - work expands so as to fill the time available
\ employers and employees
\ - the eye of a master does more work than both his hands

\ - Jack is as good as his master

\ - why keep a dog and bark yourself?

\ - a king’s chaff is worth more than other men’s corn

\ - the labourer is worthy of his hire

\ - like master, like man

\ - no man can serve two masters

\ - no man is a hero to his valet

\ - pay beforehand was never well served

\ - if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
\ ends
see beginnings and endings; finality
\ enemies
\ - if you can’t beat them, join them

\ - it is good to make a bridge of gold to a flying enemy

\ - diamond cuts diamond

\ - the enemy of my enemy is my friend

\ - when Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war

\ - there is no little enemy
\ Englishness
see national characteristics
\ entertaining
see hospitality
\ environment
\ - when the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money

\ - think global, act local
\ envy
see content and discontent; malice
\ equality
\ - when Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?

\ - a cat may look at a king

\ - dogs look up to you, cats look down on you, pigs is equal

\ - Jack is as good as his master

\ - the rich man has his ice in the summer and the poor man gets his in the winter
\ error
\ - he who is absent is always in the wrong

\ - if anything can go wrong, it will

\ - a fault confessed is half redressed

\ - garbage in, garbage out

\ - Homer sometimes nods

\ - there’s many a slip between cup and lip

\ - a miss is as good as a mile

\ - if you don’t make mistakes you don’t make anything
\ evil
see under good and evil
\ example, good and bad
\ - evil communications corrupt good manners

\ - example is better than precept

\ - an ounce of practice is worth a pound of precept

\ - one picture is worth ten thousand words

\ - every picture tells a story

\ - the rotten apple injures its neighbour

\ - he that touches pitch shall be defiled
\ exception
see under rules, general
\ excess
\ - the last drop makes the cup run over

\ - it is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back

\ - you can have too much of a good thing
\ excuses
\ - a bad excuse is better than none

\ - he who excuses, accuses himself

\ - fingers were made before forks

\ - ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it

\ - it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog
\ exercise
see under health
\ expectation
see also disappointment; hope and despair

\ - it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive

\ - don’t cry before you’re hurt

\ - while the grass grows, the steed starves

\ - it’s ill waiting for dead men’s shoes
\ expense
see under getting and spending
\ experience
\ - the man who has once been bitten by the snake fears every piece of rope

\ - a burnt child dreads the fire

\ - you cannot catch old birds with chaff

\ - experience is the best teacher

\ - experience is the father of wisdom

\ - experience keeps a dear school

\ - the same fire that melts the butter hardens the egg

\ - the frog in the well knows nothing of the sea

\ - live and learn

\ - they that live longest, see most

\ - once bitten, twice shy

\ - travel broadens the mind
\ extravagance
see under getting and spending
\ fair dealing
\ - give credit where credit is due

\ - a fair exchange is no robbery

\ - all’s fair in love and war

\ - fair play’s a jewel

\ - give and take is fair play

\ - give the devil his due

\ - be just before you’re generous

\ - never give a sucker an even break

\ - turn about is fair play

\ - there are two sides to every question
\ faith
\ - faith will move mountains

\ - put your trust in God, and keep your powder dry
\ faithfulness
see under constancy and inconstancy
\ fame and obscurity
\ - brave men lived before Agamemnon

\ - until the lions produce their own historian, the story of the hunt will glorify only the hunter

\ - more people know Tom Fool than Tom Fool knows
\ familiarity
\ - better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know

\ - better wed over the mixen than over the moor

\ - east is east, and west is west

\ - familiarity breeds contempt

\ - you should know a man seven years before you stir his fire

\ - come live with me and you’ll know me

\ - no man is a hero to his valet

\ - there is nothing new under the sun

\ - a prophet is not without honour save in his own country
\ family
see also children and parents

\ - the apple never falls far from the tree

\ - better a good cow than a cow of a good kind

\ - blood is thicker than water

\ - blood will tell

\ - what’s bred in the bone will come out in the flesh

\ - from clogs to clogs is only three generations

\ - the family that prays together stays together

\ - it takes three generations to make a gentleman

\ - keep your own fish-guts for your own sea-maws

\ - from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations

\ - the shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot
\ fashion
see innovation; novelty
\ fate and fatalism
\ - if you’re born to be hanged then you’ll never be drowned

\ - every bullet has its billet

\ - one day honey, one day onion

\ - you can only die once

\ - every elm has its man

\ - whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad

\ - what goes around comes around

\ - hanging and wiving go by destiny

\ - man proposes, God disposes

\ - many are called but few are chosen

\ - what must be, must be

\ - as a tree falls, so shall it lie

\ - what goes up must come down
\ fickleness
see under constancy and inconstancy
\ fiction
see reality and illusion
\ fighting
see warfare
\ finality
\ - all good things must come to an end

\ - the end crowns the work

\ - everything has an end

\ - the opera isn’t over till the fat lady sings

\ - there is a remedy for everything except death

\ - stone-dead hath no fellow
\ finds
see under gains and losses
\ folly
see fools; stupidity
\ food and drink
see also health; hunger

\ - an apple-pie without some cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze

\ - an army marches on its stomach

\ - better a dinner of herbs than a stalled ox where hate is

\ - a bird never flew on one wing

\ - he that drinks beer, thinks beer

\ - you are what you eat

\ - eat to live, not live to eat

\ - enough is as good as a feast

\ - God sends meat, but the devil sends cooks

\ - hunger is the best sauce

\ - man cannot live by bread alone

\ - meat and mass never hindered man

\ - the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach
\ fools
see also stupidity

\ - children and fools tell the truth

\ - a fool may give a wise man counsel

\ - fools and bairns should never see half-done work

\ - fools ask questions that wise men cannot answer

\ - fools build houses and wise men live in them

\ - fools for luck

\ - fools rush in where angels fear to tread

\ - fortune favours fools

\ - whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad

\ - never give a sucker an even break

\ - young folks think old folks to be fools, but old folks know young folks to be fools
\ foresight and hindsight
\ - forewarned is forearmed

\ - hope for the best and prepare for the worst

\ - nothing is certain but the unforeseen

\ - those who play at bowls must look out for rubbers

\ - prevention is better than cure

\ - it is too late to shut the stable-door after the horse has bolted

\ - a stitch in time saves nine

\ - the unexpected always happens

\ - it is easy to be wise after the event
\ forgetfulness
\ - a bellowing cow soon forgets her calf

\ - out of sight, out of mind
\ forgiveness
\ - charity covers a multitude of sins

\ - to err is human

\ - to know all is to forgive all

\ - offenders never pardon

\ - never let the sun go down on your anger
\ fortune
see good fortune; misfortune
\ free will and compulsion
\ - he that complies against his will is of his own opinion still

\ - you can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink

\ - one volunteer is worth two pressed men
\ friends
see also associates

\ - the best of friends must part

\ - the company makes the feast

\ - the enemy of my enemy is my friend

\ - a friend in need is a friend indeed

\ - you should know a man seven years before you stir his fire

\ - lend your money and lose your friend

\ - save us from our friends

\ - two is company, but three is none
\ futility
see also possibility and impossibility

\ - in vain the net is spread in the sight of the bird

\ - it is too late to shut the stable-door after the horse has bolted

\ - a stern chase is a long chase

\ - sue a beggar and catch a louse
\ future
\ - coming events cast their shadows before

\ - he that follows freits, freits will follow him

\ - long foretold, long last; short notice, soon past

\ - never is a long time

\ - never say never

\ - time will tell

\ - today you; tomorrow me

\ - tomorrow is another day

\ - tomorrow never comes
\ gains and losses
see also winners and losers

\ - blessings brighten as they take their flight

\ - finders keepers

\ - findings keepings

\ - all is fish that comes to the net

\ - all is grist that comes to the mill

\ - what you’ve never had you never miss

\ - one man’s loss is another man’s gain

\ - there’s no great loss without some gain

\ - safe bind, safe find

\ - a slice off a cut loaf isn’t missed

\ - if you don’t speculate, you can’t accumulate
\ garden lore
see also weather lore

\ - Candlemas day, put beans in the clay; put candles and candle-sticks away

\ - if you would be happy for a week take a wife; if you would be happy for a month kill a pig; but if you would be happy all your life plant a garden

\ - one for the mouse, one for the crow, one to rot, one to grow

\ - one year’s seeding makes seven years’ weeding

\ - parsley seed goes nine times to the devil

\ - sow dry and set wet
\ gentleness
\ - easy does it

\ - fair and softly goes far in a day

\ - with a sweet tongue and kindness, you can drag an elephant by a hair
\ gentry
\ - when Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?

\ - it takes three generations to make a gentleman
\ getting and spending
see also money; thrift

\ - easy come, easy go

\ - what is got over the devil’s back is spent under his belly

\ - light come, light go

\ - quickly come, quickly go

\ - spare at the spigot, and let out at the bung-hole

\ - what you spend, you have

\ - a woman and a ship ever want mending
\ giving and receiving
\ - it is better to give than to receive

\ - fear the Greeks bearing gifts

\ - never look a gift horse in the mouth

\ - give a thing, and take a thing, to wear the devil’s gold ring

\ - he gives twice who gives quickly
\ good and evil
\ - never bid the devil good morrow until you meet him

\ - the devil can quote Scripture for his own ends

\ - why should the devil have all the best tunes?

\ - the devil is not so black as he is painted

\ - evil communications corrupt good manners

\ - never do evil that good may come of it

\ - evil doers are evil dreaders

\ - evil to him who evil thinks

\ - where God builds a church, the devil will build a chapel

\ - the good die young

\ - good men are scarce

\ - the greater the sinner, the greater the saint

\ - idleness is the root of all evil

\ - ill weeds grow apace

\ - money is the root of all evil

\ - nothing so bad but it might have been worse

\ - it is easier to raise the devil than to lay him

\ - no rose without a thorn

\ - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

\ - sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof

\ - two blacks don’t make a white

\ - two wrongs don’t make a right

\ - young saint, old devil
\ good fortune
see also blessings

\ - set a beggar on horseback, and he’ll ride to the devil

\ - the devil looks after his own

\ - full cup, steady hand

\ - call no man happy till he dies

\ - a rising tide lifts all boats

\ - take the goods the gods provide

\ - all’s well that ends well
\ good things
\ - all good things must come to an end

\ - the best is the enemy of the good

\ - the best things in life are free

\ - the good is the enemy of the best

\ - one story is good till another is told

\ - you can have too much of a good thing
\ government
see politics; rulers and ruled
\ gratitude and ingratitude
\ - feed a dog for three days and he will remember your kindness for three years; feed a cat for three years and she will forget your kindness in three days

\ - never look a gift horse in the mouth

\ - you never miss the water till the well runs dry

\ - do not throw pearls to swine
\ great and small
\ - the best things come in small packages

\ - big fish eat little fish

\ - big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite them, and little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum

\ - the bigger they are, the harder they fall

\ - the devil is in the details

\ - dogs bark, but the caravan goes on

\ - eagles don’t catch flies

\ - every little helps

\ - great oaks from little acorns grow

\ - little fish are sweet

\ - little leaks sink the ship

\ - a little pot is soon hot

\ - little strokes fell great oaks

\ - little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape

\ - little things please little minds

\ - a live dog is better than a dead lion

\ - many a little makes a mickle

\ - many a mickle makes a muckle

\ - the mother of mischief is no bigger than a midge’s wing

\ - a mouse may help a lion

\ - providence is always on the side of the big battalions

\ - you cannot get a quart into a pint pot

\ - a reed before the wind lives on, while mighty oaks do fall

\ - small is beautiful

\ - when spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion

\ - from the sublime to the ridiculous is only a step

\ - the sun loses nothing by shining into a puddle

\ - think global, act local

\ - for want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost
\ greed
\ - the more you get, the more you want

\ - much would have more

\ - the sea refuses no river
\ guile
see also deception

\ - a clever hawk hides its claws

\ - an old poacher makes the best gamekeeper

\ - softly, softly, catchee monkey

\ - set a thief to catch a thief
\ guilt
see conscience
\ gullibility
see under trust and scepticism
\ habit
\ - what’s bred in the bone will come out in the flesh

\ - the dog returns to its vomit

\ - old habits die hard

\ - you cannot shift an old tree without it dying

\ - you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
\ happiness
\ - if you would be happy for a week take a wife; if you would be happy for a month kill a pig; but if you would be happy all your life plant a garden

\ - call no man happy till he dies

\ - money can’t buy happiness

\ - it is a poor heart that never rejoices
\ harmony and disharmony
\ - birds in their little nests agree

\ - a deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple

\ - east is east, and west is west

\ - good fences make good neighbours

\ - great minds think alike
\ haste
\ - haste is from the devil

\ - more haste, less speed

\ - haste makes waste

\ - make haste slowly

\ - marry in haste and repent at leisure

\ - nothing should be done in haste but gripping a flea

\ - it is the pace that kills

\ - Rome was not built in a day
\ hatred
see malice
\ health
\ - after dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile

\ - an apple a day keeps the doctor away

\ - the best doctors are Dr Diet, Dr Quiet, and Dr Merryman

\ - early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise

\ - we must eat a peck of dirt before we die

\ - feed a cold and starve a fever

\ - one hour’s sleep before midnight is worth two after

\ - laughter is the best medicine

\ - there is nothing so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse

\ - six hours’ sleep for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool
\ help
see assistance; reciprocity
\ heredity
see family
\ hindsight
see under foresight and hindsight
\ hints
\ - a nod’s as good as a wink to a blind horse

\ - straws tell which way the wind blows

\ - a word to the wise is enough
\ history
see also past

\ - happy is the country which has no history

\ - history repeats itself

\ - until the lions produce their own historian, the story of the hunt will glorify only the hunter
\ holidays
see recreation
\ home
\ - charity begins at home

\ - every cock will crow upon his own dunghill

\ - east, west, home’s best

\ - an Englishman’s house is his castle

\ - fools build houses and wise men live in them

\ - go abroad and you’ll hear news of home

\ - home is home though it’s never so homely

\ - home is where the heart is

\ - there’s no place like home

\ - a woman’s place is in the home
\ honesty and dishonesty
\ - the devil makes his Christmas pies of lawyers’ tongues and clerks’ fingers

\ - honesty is the best policy

\ - the more laws, the more thieves and bandits

\ - opportunity makes a thief

\ - it’s a sin to steal a pin

\ - when thieves fall out, honest men come by their own
\ honour
\ - an Englishman’s word is his bond

\ - there is honour among thieves

\ - the post of honour is the post of danger

\ - where MacGregor sits is the head of the table

\ - a prophet is not without honour save in his own country
\ hope and despair
see also disappointment; optimism

\ - be careful what you pray for, you might get it

\ - the darkest hour is just before the dawn

\ - whosoever draws his sword against the prince must throw the scabbard away

\ - a drowning man will clutch at a straw

\ - hope deferred makes the heart sick

\ - hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper

\ - hope springs eternal

\ - if it were not for hope, the heart would break

\ - he that lives in hope dances to an ill tune
\ horse lore
\ - a good horse cannot be of a bad colour

\ - no foot, no horse

\ - one white foot, buy him; two white feet, try him; three white feet, look well about him; four white feet, go without him
\ hospitality
\ - the company makes the feast

\ - fish and guests smell after three days

\ - it is merry in hall when beards wag all

\ - the more the merrier
\ houses
see home
\ human nature
see also nature and nurture

\ - an ape’s an ape, a varlet’s a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet

\ - beauty is only skin-deep

\ - the best of men are but men at best

\ - better a good cow than a cow of a good kind

\ - birds of a feather flock together

\ - boys will be boys

\ - what’s bred in the bone will come out in the flesh

\ - a carpenter is known by his chips

\ - the child is the father of the man

\ - the dog returns to its vomit

\ - what can you expect from a pig but a grunt?

\ - extremes meet

\ - the higher the monkey climbs the more he shows his tail

\ - know thyself

\ - the leopard does not change his spots

\ - man is the measure of all things

\ - because a man is born in a stable that does not make him a horse

\ - once a —, always a —

\ - a rolling stone gathers no moss

\ - scratch a Russian and you find a Tartar

\ - the style is the man

\ - the tree is known by its fruit

\ - as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

\ - Yorkshire born and Yorkshire bred, strong in the arm and weak in the head

\ - young saint, old devil
\ hunger
see also food and drink

\ - appetite comes with eating

\ - empty sacks will never stand upright

\ - it’s ill speaking between a full man and a fasting

\ - God never sends mouths but He sends meat

\ - hunger drives the wolf out of the wood

\ - hunger is the best sauce

\ - a hungry man is an angry man
\ husbands
see wives and husbands
\ hypocrisy
\ - the devil can quote Scripture for his own ends

\ - the devil was sick, the devil a saint would be; the devil was well, the devil a saint was he!

\ - do as I say, not as I do

\ - fine words butter no parsnips

\ - those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
\ idiosyncrasy
\ - there is no accounting for tastes

\ - it takes all sorts to make a world

\ - every man to his taste

\ - every land has its own law

\ - one man’s meat is another man’s poison

\ - so many men, so many opinions

\ - there’s nowt so queer as folk

\ - there is reason in the roasting of eggs

\ - he that would go to sea for pleasure, would go to hell for a pastime

\ - the style is the man

\ - tastes differ
\ idleness
\ - as good be an addled egg as an idle bird

\ - it is as cheap sitting as standing

\ - the devil finds work for idle hands to do

\ - an idle brain is the devil’s workshop

\ - idle people have the least leisure

\ - idleness is the root of all evil

\ - if you won’t work you shan’t eat
\ ignorance
\ - there’s none so blind as those who will not see

\ - when the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch

\ - in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

\ - what the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over

\ - the fat man knoweth not what the lean thinketh

\ - fools rush in where angels fear to tread

\ - the frog in the well knows nothing of the sea

\ - one half of the world does not know how the other half lives

\ - where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise

\ - ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it

\ - what you don’t know can’t hurt you

\ - a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

\ - nothing so bold as a blind mare

\ - a slice off a cut loaf isn’t missed
\ illusion
see under reality and illusion
\ illustration
\ - one picture is worth ten thousand words

\ - every picture tells a story
\ imitation
\ - imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

\ - what Manchester says today, the rest of England says tomorrow
\ impatience
see patience and impatience
\ impossibility
see possibility and impossibility
\ improvement
\ - it is never too late to mend

\ - new brooms sweep clean

\ - you can’t put new wine in old bottles

\ - when things are at the worst they begin to mend
\ inconstancy
see under constancy and inconstancy
\ indecision
see decision and indecision
\ independence
\ - God is high above, and the tsar is far away

\ - every herring must hang by its own gill

\ - the mountains are high, and the emperor is far away

\ - he travels fastest who travels alone

\ - every tub must stand on its own bottom
\ industriousness
see diligence
\ ingratitude
see gratitude and ingratitude
\ injustice
see justice and injustice
\ innovation
see also change; novelty

\ - new brooms sweep clean

\ - what is new cannot be true

\ - you can’t put new wine in old bottles

\ - you can’t teach an old dog new tricks

\ - don’t throw out your dirty water until you get in fresh

\ - times change and we with time

\ - turkey, heresy, hops, and beer came into England all in one year
\ intentions
\ - the best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley

\ - the road to hell is paved with good intentions
\ interference
see busybodies
\ intimacy
see familiarity
\ just deserts
see also retribution; revenge

\ - good Americans when they die go to Paris

\ - none but the brave deserve the fair

\ - give credit where credit is due

\ - no good deed goes unpunished

\ - no cure, no pay

\ - no penny, no paternoster

\ - virtue is its own reward
\ justice and injustice
see also fair dealing; law and lawyers

\ - justice delayed is justice denied

\ - kings have long arms

\ - one law for the rich and another for the poor

\ - little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape

\ - might is right

\ - the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small
\ justification
see under excuses
\ knowledge
see learning
\ lateness
\ - better late than never

\ - it is never too late to learn

\ - it is never too late to mend

\ - it is too late to shut the stable-door after the horse has bolted
\ laughter
see under merriment
\ law and lawyers
\ - the devil makes his Christmas pies of lawyers’ tongues and clerks’ fingers

\ - hard cases make bad law

\ - home is home, as the devil said when he found himself in the Court of Session

\ - ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it

\ - no one should be judge in his own cause

\ - one law for the rich and another for the poor

\ - the more laws, the more thieves and bandits

\ - a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client

\ - sue a beggar and catch a louse
\ laziness
see idleness
\ learning
\ - when house and land are gone and spent, then learning is most excellent

\ - learning is better than house and land

\ - a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

\ - it is never too late to learn

\ - never too old to learn

\ - there is no royal road to learning
\ lending
see borrowing and lending
\ lies
see lying
\ life
\ - art is long and life is short

\ - eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die

\ - life begins at forty

\ - life isn’t all beer and skittles

\ - while there’s life there’s hope

\ - a live dog is better than a dead lion

\ - he lives long who lives well

\ - man cannot live by bread alone
\ loans
see borrowing and lending
\ long-windedness
see under brevity and long-windedness
\ losers
see under winners and losers
\ loss
see under gains and losses
\ love
see also marriage

\ - absence makes the heart grow fonder

\ - beauty is in the eye of the beholder

\ - better be an old man’s darling, than a young man’s slave

\ - cold hands, warm heart

\ - faint heart never won fair lady

\ - all’s fair in love and war

\ - Jove but laughs at lovers’ perjury

\ - love and a cough cannot be hid

\ - one cannot love and be wise

\ - love is blind

\ - love laughs at locksmiths

\ - love makes the world go round

\ - love me little, love me long

\ - love me, love my dog

\ - love will find a way

\ - lucky at cards, unlucky in love

\ - it is best to be off with the old love before you are on with the new

\ - pity is akin to love

\ - please your eye and plague your heart

\ - the quarrel of lovers is the renewal of love
\ love, blighted
\ - better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all

\ - the course of true love never did run smooth

\ - there are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it

\ - hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

\ - there is always one who kisses, and one who turns the cheek

\ - when poverty comes in at the door, love flies out of the window
\ love, prosperous
\ - when the furze is in bloom, my love’s in tune

\ - when the gorse is out of bloom, kissing’s out of fashion
\ luck
\ - it is better to be born lucky than rich

\ - if you’re born to be hanged then you’ll never be drowned

\ - the bread never falls but on its buttered side

\ - the devil’s children have the devil’s luck

\ - diligence is the mother of good luck

\ - fools for luck

\ - fortune favours fools

\ - fortune favours the brave

\ - there is luck in odd numbers

\ - lucky at cards, unlucky in love

\ - marriage is a lottery

\ - see a pin and pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you’ll have all the day

\ - third time lucky
\ lying
\ - ask no questions and hear no lies

\ - half the truth is often a whole lie

\ - a liar ought to have a good memory
\ malice
\ - better a dinner of herbs than a stalled ox where hate is

\ - curses, like chickens, come home to roost

\ - don’t cut off your nose to spite your face

\ - throw dirt enough, and some will stick

\ - dogs bark, but the caravan goes on

\ - hard words break no bones

\ - hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

\ - there is no little enemy

\ - misery loves company

\ - sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me

\ - never let the sun go down on your anger

\ - never tell tales out of school
\ manners
\ - children should be seen and not heard

\ - civility costs nothing

\ - evil communications corrupt good manners

\ - fingers were made before forks

\ - manners maketh man
\ marriage
see also love; weddings; wives and husbands

\ - better one house spoiled than two

\ - better to marry than to burn

\ - better wed over the mixen than over the moor

\ - change the name and not the letter, change for the worse and not the better

\ - why buy a cow when milk is so cheap?

\ - a deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple

\ - drive gently over the stones

\ - the grey mare is the better horse

\ - hanging and wiving go by destiny

\ - marriage is a lottery

\ - there goes more to marriage than four bare legs in a bed

\ - marriages are made in heaven

\ - never marry for money, but marry where money is

\ - marry in haste and repent at leisure

\ - marry in May, rue for aye

\ - needles and pins, needles and pins, when a man marries, his trouble begins

\ - wedlock is a padlock

\ - happy’s the wooing that is not long a-doing

\ - a young man married is a young man marred
\ marvels
\ - the age of miracles is past

\ - wonders will never cease
\ masters and servants
see employers and employees
\ meanness
\ - penny wise and pound foolish

\ - do not spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar
\ means
see ways and means
\ men and women
see also marriage; wives and husbands

\ - a good Jack makes a good Jill

\ - every Jack has his Jill

\ - a man is as old as he feels, and a woman as old as she looks

\ - what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander
\ merriment
\ - laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone

\ - laughter is the best medicine

\ - it is merry in hall when beards wag all

\ - the more the merrier

\ - sing before breakfast, cry before night
\ methods
see ways and means
\ middle age
\ - a fool at forty is a fool indeed

\ - life begins at forty
\ mischief
see good and evil; wrong-doers
\ misfortune
see also trouble

\ - accidents will happen

\ - adversity makes strange bedfellows

\ - if anything can go wrong, it will

\ - bad news travels fast

\ - bad things come in threes

\ - the bigger they are, the harder they fall

\ - the bleating of the kid excites the tiger

\ - the bread never falls but on its buttered side

\ - crosses are ladders that lead to heaven

\ - it is no use crying over spilt milk

\ - it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good

\ - lightning never strikes the same place twice

\ - May chickens come cheeping

\ - do not meet troubles halfway

\ - misery loves company

\ - misfortunes never come singly

\ - no cross, no crown

\ - the pitcher will go to the well once too often

\ - it never rains but it pours

\ - help you to salt, help you to sorrow

\ - the sharper the storm, the sooner it’s over

\ - many go out for wool and come home shorn
\ mistakes
see error
\ moderation
\ - enough is enough

\ - the half is better than the whole

\ - less is more

\ - there is measure in all things

\ - moderation in all things
\ money
see also getting and spending; just deserts

\ - bad money drives out good

\ - the best things in life are free

\ - a fool and his money are soon parted

\ - you cannot serve God and Mammon

\ - gold may be bought too dear

\ - a golden key can open any door

\ - keep your shop and your shop will keep you

\ - the labourer is worthy of his hire

\ - when the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money

\ - never marry for money, but marry where money is

\ - money can’t buy happiness

\ - money has no smell

\ - money isn’t everything

\ - money is power

\ - money is the root of all evil

\ - money, like manure, does no good till it is spread

\ - money makes a man

\ - money makes money

\ - money makes the mare to go

\ - money talks

\ - where there’s muck there’s brass

\ - he that cannot pay, let him pray

\ - if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

\ - he who pays the piper calls the tune

\ - you pays your money and you takes your choice

\ - take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves

\ - shrouds have no pockets

\ - speak not of my debts unless you mean to pay them
\ mortality
\ - art is long and life is short

\ - a creaking door hangs longest

\ - we must eat a peck of dirt before we die

\ - threatened men live long
\ murder
see violence
\ national characteristics
\ - England is the paradise of women, the hell of horses, and the purgatory of servants

\ - the English are a nation of shopkeepers

\ - one Englishman can beat three Frenchmen

\ - an Englishman’s house is his castle

\ - an Englishman’s word is his bond

\ - the only good Indian is a dead Indian

\ - when Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war

\ - every land has its own law

\ - a nation without a language is a nation without a heart

\ - scratch a Russian and you find a Tartar
\ Nature
\ - you can drive out nature with a pitchfork, but she keeps on coming back

\ - God made the country, and man made the town

\ - nature abhors a vacuum

\ - self-preservation is the first law of nature
\ nature and nurture
see also human nature

\ - an ape’s an ape, a varlet’s a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet

\ - the apple never falls far from the tree

\ - you can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy

\ - as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined
\ necessity
see also pragmatism

\ - any port in a storm

\ - beggars can’t be choosers

\ - desperate diseases must have desperate remedies

\ - dirty water will quench fire

\ - when all fruit fails, welcome haws

\ - when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

\ - hunger drives the wolf out of the wood

\ - man’s extremity is God’s opportunity

\ - if the mountain will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain

\ - necessity is the mother of invention

\ - necessity knows no law

\ - needs must when the devil drives

\ - beware of an oak, it draws the stroke; avoid an ash, it counts the flash; creep under the thorn, it can save you from harm

\ - who says A must say B

\ - small choice in rotten apples

\ - young men may die, but old men must die
\ neighbours
\ - good fences make good neighbours

\ - what a neighbour gets is not lost
\ news
\ - bad news travels fast

\ - go abroad and you’ll hear news of home

\ - no news is good news
\ novelty
\ - better be out of the world than out of the fashion

\ - far-fetched and dear-bought is good for ladies

\ - there is always something new out of Africa

\ - there is nothing new under the sun

\ - one story is good till another is told

\ - variety is the spice of life
\ obedience
\ - the first duty of a soldier is obedience

\ - he that cannot obey cannot command

\ - obey orders, if you break owners
\ obscurity
see fame and obscurity
\ observation
\ - four eyes see more than two

\ - lookers-on see most of the game
\ obstinacy
\ - little birds that can sing and won’t sing must be made to sing

\ - there’s none so blind as those who will not see

\ - he that will to Cupar maun to Cupar

\ - there’s none so deaf as those who will not hear

\ - if the mountain will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain

\ - Sussex won’t be druv

\ - a wilful man must have his way
\ old age
\ - better to wear out than to rust out

\ - a creaking door hangs longest

\ - there’s no fool like an old fool

\ - when all fruit fails, welcome haws

\ - the gods send nuts to those who have no teeth

\ - there’s many a good tune played on an old fiddle

\ - they that live longest, see most

\ - a man is as old as he feels, and a woman as old as she looks

\ - never too old to learn

\ - old soldiers never die

\ - you cannot shift an old tree without it dying

\ - you can’t teach an old dog new tricks

\ - young folks think old folks to be fools, but old folks know young folks to be fools

\ - young men may die, but old men must die

\ - if youth knew, if age could
\ omens
see also superstition

\ - he that follows freits, freits will follow him

\ - one for sorrow, two for mirth; three for a wedding, four for a birth

\ - straws tell which way the wind blows

\ - one swallow does not make a summer
\ opinions
\ - what Manchester says today, the rest of England says tomorrow

\ - so many men, so many opinions

\ - thought is free
\ opportunity
\ - eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die

\ - England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity

\ - all is fish that comes to the net

\ - all is grist that comes to the mill

\ - man’s extremity is God’s opportunity

\ - when one door shuts, another opens

\ - opportunity never knocks twice at any man’s door

\ - strike while the iron is hot

\ - take the goods the gods provide

\ - there is a time and place for everything

\ - time and tide wait for no man

\ - there is a time for everything

\ - no time like the present

\ - youth must be served
\ opportunity, missed
\ - a bleating sheep loses a bite

\ - the gods send nuts to those who have no teeth

\ - the mill cannot grind with the water that is past

\ - he that will not when he may, when he will he shall have nay
\ opportunity, taken
\ - adventures are to the adventurous

\ - when the cat’s away, the mice will play

\ - every dog has his day

\ - when the going gets tough, the tough get going

\ - make hay while the sun shines

\ - nature abhors a vacuum

\ - opportunity makes a thief

\ - a postern door makes a thief

\ - while two dogs are fighting for a bone, a third runs away with it
\ opposites
\ - east is east, and west is west

\ - extremes meet

\ - from the sweetest wine, the tartest vinegar
\ optimism
\ - all’s for the best in the best of all possible worlds

\ - it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive

\ - every cloud has a silver lining

\ - don’t count your chickens before they are hatched

\ - while there’s life there’s hope

\ - nothing so bad but it might have been worse

\ - don’t sell the skin till you have caught the bear

\ - when things are at the worst they begin to mend

\ - if you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing
\ orderliness
\ - first come, first served

\ - first things first

\ - a place for everything, and everything in its place

\ - there is a time and place for everything
\ origins
\ - the apple never falls far from the tree

\ - you can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy

\ - because a man is born in a stable that does not make him a horse
\ past
see also history

\ - it is no use crying over spilt milk

\ - what’s done cannot be undone

\ - the mill cannot grind with the water that is past

\ - old sins cast long shadows

\ - other times, other manners

\ - things past cannot be recalled
\ patience and impatience
\ - all things come to those who wait

\ - bear and forbear

\ - what can’t be cured must be endured

\ - haste is from the devil

\ - more haste, less speed

\ - haste makes waste

\ - make haste slowly

\ - hurry no man’s cattle

\ - the longest way round is the shortest way home

\ - there is luck in leisure

\ - nothing should be done in haste but gripping a flea

\ - patience is a virtue

\ - don’t put the cart before the horse

\ - revenge is a dish that can be eaten cold

\ - Rome was not built in a day

\ - if you sit by the river for long enough, you will see the body of your enemy float by

\ - slow and steady wins the race

\ - slow but sure

\ - softly, softly, catchee monkey

\ - one step at a time

\ - we must learn to walk before we can run

\ - a watched pot never boils
\ peace
\ - after a storm comes a calm

\ - if you want peace, you must prepare for war
\ peril
\ - don’t halloo till you are out of the wood

\ - the post of honour is the post of danger

\ - if you play with fire you get burnt

\ - he who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount

\ - he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon

\ - threatened men live long
\ perseverance
see also persistence

\ - be the day weary or be the day long, at last it ringeth to evensong

\ - it’s dogged as does it

\ - fall down seven times, get up eight

\ - in for a penny, in for a pound

\ - it is a long lane that has no turning

\ - put a stout heart to a stey brae

\ - if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again

\ - it is idle to swallow the cow and choke on the tail

\ - the third time pays for all
\ persistence
see also perseverance

\ - constant dropping wears away a stone

\ - you can drive out nature with a pitchfork, but she keeps on coming back

\ - once a —, always a —

\ - the pitcher will go to the well once too often

\ - a stern chase is a long chase

\ - the tongue always returns to the sore tooth

\ - where there’s a will, there’s a way
\ persuasion
see tact
\ pity
\ - better be envied than pitied

\ - pity is akin to love
\ politeness
\ - a civil question deserves a civil answer

\ - civility costs nothing

\ - honey catches more flies than vinegar

\ - punctuality is the politeness of princes
\ politics
\ - England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity

\ - when the going gets tough, the tough get going

\ - if you don’t like the heat, get out of the kitchen

\ - politics makes strange bedfellows

\ - revolutions are not made with rose-water

\ - the voice of the people is the voice of God
\ possessions
see property
\ possibility and impossibility
\ - all things are possible with God

\ - you cannot get blood from a stone

\ - you cannot make bricks without straw

\ - the difficult is done at once; the impossible takes a little longer

\ - you cannot have your cake and eat it

\ - whatever man has done, man may do

\ - you cannot get a quart into a pint pot

\ - you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear

\ - if the sky falls we shall catch larks

\ - a sow may whistle, though it has an ill mouth for it

\ - if you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing
\ poverty
\ - adversity makes strange bedfellows

\ - beggars can’t be choosers

\ - from clogs to clogs is only three generations

\ - cut your coat according to your cloth

\ - empty sacks will never stand upright

\ - a moneyless man goes fast through the market

\ - he that cannot pay, let him pray

\ - when poverty comes in at the door, love flies out of the window

\ - poverty is no disgrace, but it is a great inconvenience

\ - poverty is not a crime

\ - the rich man has his ice in the summer and the poor man gets his in the winter

\ - from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations

\ - stretch your arm no further than your sleeve will reach

\ - many go out for wool and come home shorn
\ power
\ - divide and rule

\ - God is high above, and the tsar is far away

\ - kings have long arms

\ - knowledge is power

\ - might is right

\ - money is power

\ - money talks

\ - the mountains are high, and the emperor is far away

\ - power corrupts

\ - speak softly and carry a big stick

\ - the voice of the people is the voice of God
\ pragmatism
see also necessity

\ - the best of men are but men at best

\ - it doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice

\ - if you have to live in the river, it is best to be friends with the crocodile

\ - you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs
\ pride
\ - set a beggar on horseback, and he’ll ride to the devil

\ - where MacGregor sits is the head of the table

\ - the nail that sticks up gets hammered down

\ - pride feels no pain

\ - pride goes before a fall

\ - up like a rocket, down like a stick
\ procrastination
\ - delays are dangerous

\ - there is luck in leisure

\ - procrastination is the thief of time

\ - never put off till tomorrow what you can do today

\ - tomorrow never comes
\ professions
see trades and skills
\ property
\ - you buy land, you buy stones; you buy meat, you buy bones

\ - what you have, hold

\ - when house and land are gone and spent, then learning is most excellent

\ - learning is better than house and land

\ - possession is nine points of the law
\ prosperity
see good fortune
\ providence
\ - God helps them that help themselves

\ - God makes the back to the burden

\ - God never sends mouths but He sends meat

\ - God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb

\ - heaven protects children, sailors, and drunken men

\ - man proposes, God disposes

\ - providence is always on the side of the big battalions

\ - trust in God but tie your camel
\ prudence
see also caution; thrift

\ - it is best to be on the safe side

\ - better be safe than sorry

\ - a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

\ - discretion is the better part of valour

\ - don’t put all your eggs in one basket

\ - forewarned is forearmed

\ - full cup, steady hand

\ - one hand for yourself and one for the ship

\ - when you are in a hole, stop digging

\ - jouk and let the jaw go by

\ - if you want peace, you must prepare for war

\ - prevention is better than cure

\ - it is easier to raise the devil than to lay him

\ - second thoughts are best

\ - it is ill sitting at Rome and striving with the Pope

\ - a stitch in time saves nine

\ - stretch your arm no further than your sleeve will reach

\ - everyone stretches his legs according to the length of his coverlet

\ - don’t throw out your dirty water until you get in fresh

\ - don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater

\ - put your trust in God, and keep your powder dry

\ - don’t go near the water until you learn how to swim
\ public opinion
see also reputation

\ - common fame is seldom to blame

\ - what everybody says must be true

\ - what Manchester says today, the rest of England says tomorrow

\ - no smoke without fire

\ - everyone speaks well of the bridge which carries him over
\ public relations
\ - good wine needs no bush

\ - you can’t please everyone

\ - any publicity is good publicity
\ punctuality
\ - first up, best dressed

\ - punctuality is the politeness of princes

\ - punctuality is the soul of business

\ - short reckonings make long friends
\ quarrelsomeness
\ - it’s ill speaking between a full man and a fasting

\ - a house divided cannot stand

\ - two of a trade never agree

\ - it takes two to make a quarrel
\ rain
see under weather lore
\ reality and illusion
\ - fact is stranger than fiction

\ - facts are stubborn things

\ - the proof of the pudding is in the eating

\ - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

\ - truth is stranger than fiction
\ reciprocity
\ - do as you would be done by

\ - do unto others as you would they should do unto you

\ - dog does not eat dog

\ - there’s no such thing as a free lunch

\ - one good turn deserves another

\ - one hand washes the other

\ - hawks will not pick out hawks’ eyes

\ - judge not, that ye be not judged

\ - love begets love

\ - nothing comes of nothing

\ - nothing for nothing

\ - you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours

\ - you don’t get something for nothing
\ recreation
\ - a change is as good as a rest

\ - he that would go to sea for pleasure, would go to hell for a pastime

\ - all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
\ regrets
\ - marry in haste and repent at leisure

\ - marry in May, rue for aye

\ - things past cannot be recalled

\ - it is too late to shut the stable-door after the horse has bolted
\ reputation
\ - if the cap fits, wear it

\ - the devil is not so black as he is painted

\ - give a dog a bad name and hang him

\ - every dog is allowed one bite

\ - the only good Indian is a dead Indian

\ - good wine needs no bush

\ - he that has an ill name is half hanged

\ - if the shoe fits, wear it

\ - speak as you find

\ - never speak ill of the dead

\ - one man may steal a horse, while another may not look over a hedge
\ retribution
\ - curses, like chickens, come home to roost

\ - what goes around comes around

\ - ill gotten goods never thrive

\ - he who lives by the sword dies by the sword

\ - the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small

\ - pride goes before a fall

\ - winter never rots in the sky

\ - even a worm will turn
\ revenge
\ - blood will have blood

\ - don’t cut off your nose to spite your face

\ - dead men don’t bite

\ - dead men tell no tales

\ - he laughs best who laughs last

\ - he who laughs last, laughs longest

\ - don’t get mad, get even

\ - revenge is a dish that can be eaten cold

\ - revenge is sweet

\ - if you sit by the river for long enough, you will see the body of your enemy float by
\ rewards
see just deserts; money
\ riches
see also money

\ - it is better to be born lucky than rich

\ - early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise

\ - the more you get, the more you want

\ - much would have more

\ - the rich man has his ice in the summer and the poor man gets his in the winter

\ - if you don’t speculate, you can’t accumulate
\ risk
see also caution

\ - adventures are to the adventurous

\ - a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

\ - one might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb

\ - in for a penny, in for a pound

\ - if you don’t make mistakes you don’t make anything

\ - nothing venture, nothing gain

\ - nothing venture, nothing have

\ - if you don’t speculate, you can’t accumulate
\ rules, general
\ - the exception proves the rule

\ - there is an exception to every rule

\ - hard cases make bad law

\ - rules are made to be broken
\ rulers and ruled
\ - better a century of tyranny than one day of chaos

\ - when the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch

\ - the cat, the rat, and Lovell the dog, rule all England under the hog

\ - in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

\ - divide and rule

\ - whosoever draws his sword against the prince must throw the scabbard away

\ - the fish always stinks from the head downwards

\ - God is high above, and the tsar is far away

\ - the king can do no wrong

\ - the mountains are high, and the emperor is far away

\ - he that cannot obey cannot command

\ - revolutions are not made with rose-water

\ - the voice of the people is the voice of God
\ rumour
\ - believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see

\ - a lie is halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on

\ - no smoke without fire

\ - what the soldier said isn’t evidence

\ - a tale never loses in the telling
\ safety
see security
\ seasons
see calendar lore; weather lore
\ secrecy
see concealment
\ security
\ - it is best to be on the safe side

\ - better be safe than sorry

\ - one hand for yourself and one for the ship

\ - beware of an oak, it draws the stroke; avoid an ash, it counts the flash; creep under the thorn, it can save you from harm

\ - out of debt, out of danger

\ - safe bind, safe find

\ - there is safety in numbers
\ self-help
\ - every man is the architect of his own fortune

\ - God helps them that help themselves

\ - physician, heal thyself

\ - if you would be well served, serve yourself

\ - trust in God but tie your camel

\ - put your trust in God, and keep your powder dry

\ - if you want a thing done well, do it yourself
\ self-interest
see self-help; self-preservation
\ self-preservation
\ - if you can’t beat them, join them

\ - it is best to be on the safe side

\ - better be safe than sorry

\ - devil take the hindmost

\ - every man for himself

\ - every man for himself, and devil take the hindmost

\ - every man for himself, and God for us all

\ - those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones

\ - hear all, see all, say nowt, tak’ all, keep all, gie nowt, and if tha ever does owt for nowt do it for thysen

\ - jouk and let the jaw go by

\ - near is my kirtle, but nearer is my smock

\ - near is my shirt, but nearer is my skin

\ - self-preservation is the first law of nature
\ separation
see absence
\ servants
see employers and employees
\ silence
see speech and silence
\ similarity and dissimilarity
\ - birds of a feather flock together

\ - all cats are grey in the dark

\ - comparisons are odious

\ - diamond cuts diamond

\ - like father, like son

\ - fight fire with fire

\ - when Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war

\ - like breeds like

\ - like will to like

\ - like mother, like daughter

\ - like people, like priest

\ - it takes one to know one

\ - two of a trade never agree
\ slander
see also malice; rumour

\ - throw dirt enough, and some will stick

\ - give a dog a bad name and hang him

\ - a dog that will fetch a bone will carry a bone

\ - those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones

\ - the greater the truth, the greater the libel

\ - never speak ill of the dead
\ sleep
see health
\ smallness
see great and small
\ society
\ - a cat may look at a king

\ - do as you would be done by

\ - do unto others as you would they should do unto you

\ - everybody loves a lord

\ - one half of the world does not know how the other half lives

\ - if every man would sweep his own doorstep the city would soon be clean

\ - it takes a whole village to bring up a child
\ soldiers
\ - an army marches on its stomach

\ - the first duty of a soldier is obedience

\ - old soldiers never die

\ - what the soldier said isn’t evidence
\ speech and silence
\ - little birds that can sing and won’t sing must be made to sing

\ - a bleating sheep loses a bite

\ - out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks

\ - who knows most, speaks least

\ - least said, soonest mended

\ - no names, no pack-drill

\ - no news is good news

\ - a shut mouth catches no flies

\ - silence is a woman’s best garment

\ - silence is golden

\ - silence means consent

\ - speech is silver, but silence is golden

\ - a still tongue makes a wise head

\ - still waters run deep
\ spending
see getting and spending
\ staying power
see perseverance; persistence
\ strength and weakness
\ - the caribou feeds the wolf, but it is the wolf who keeps the caribou strong

\ - a chain is no stronger than its weakest link

\ - when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers

\ - there is nothing like leather

\ - a reed before the wind lives on, while mighty oaks do fall

\ - when spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion

\ - union is strength

\ - the weakest go to the wall
\ stress
\ - care killed the cat

\ - when the going gets tough, the tough get going

\ - if you don’t like the heat, get out of the kitchen

\ - it is the pace that kills

\ - if you can’t ride two horses at once, you shouldn’t be in the circus

\ - do not call a wolf to help you against the dogs

\ - it is not work that kills, but worry
\ stupidity
\ - ask a silly question and you get a silly answer

\ - a fool and his money are soon parted

\ - a fool at forty is a fool indeed

\ - there’s no fool like an old fool

\ - penny wise and pound foolish
\ success
\ - every dog has his day

\ - let them laugh that win

\ - nothing succeeds like success

\ - the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong

\ - if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again

\ - success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan
\ superstition
see also dreams; omens

\ - bad things come in threes

\ - change the name and not the letter, change for the worse and not the better

\ - if you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive

\ - there is luck in odd numbers

\ - parsley seed goes nine times to the devil

\ - help you to salt, help you to sorrow

\ - third time lucky

\ - sweep the house with broom in May, you sweep the head of the house away

\ - the third time pays for all
\ tact
\ - different strokes for different folks

\ - drive gently over the stones

\ - easy does it

\ - fair and softly goes far in a day

\ - least said, soonest mended

\ - a nod’s as good as a wink to a blind horse

\ - never mention rope in the house of a man who has been hanged

\ - a soft answer turneth away wrath

\ - speak not of my debts unless you mean to pay them

\ - with a sweet tongue and kindness, you can drag an elephant by a hair

\ - think first and speak afterwards
\ talkativeness
see speech and silence; words and deeds
\ taste
\ - there is no accounting for tastes

\ - beauty is in the eye of the beholder

\ - every man to his taste

\ - far-fetched and dear-bought is good for ladies

\ - one man’s meat is another man’s poison

\ - tastes differ
\ teamwork
see co-operation
\ theft
\ - it’s a sin to steal a pin

\ - stolen fruit is sweet

\ - stolen waters are sweet
\ thrift
\ - cut your coat according to your cloth

\ - keep a thing seven years and you’ll always find a use for it

\ - out of debt, out of danger

\ - take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves

\ - a penny saved is a penny earned

\ - penny wise and pound foolish

\ - see a pin and pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you’ll have all the day

\ - spare well and have to spend

\ - thrift is a great revenue

\ - waste not, want not
\ tidiness
see orderliness
\ time
\ - there is a time and place for everything

\ - time and tide wait for no man

\ - time flies

\ - there is a time for everything

\ - time is a great healer

\ - time is money

\ - man fears time, but time fears the pyramids

\ - no time like the present

\ - time will tell

\ - time works wonders

\ - times change and we with time
\ tolerance
\ - it takes all sorts to make a world

\ - bear and forbear

\ - give and take is fair play

\ - judge not, that ye be not judged

\ - to know all is to forgive all

\ - live and let live
\ trades and skills
\ - let the cobbler stick to his last

\ - the cobbler to his last and the gunner to his linstock

\ - every man to his trade

\ - jack of all trades and master of none

\ - there are tricks in every trade

\ - two of a trade never agree
\ travel
\ - it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive

\ - go abroad and you’ll hear news of home

\ - travel broadens the mind

\ - he travels fastest who travels alone
\ trouble
see also misfortune

\ - after a storm comes a calm

\ - any port in a storm

\ - don’t care was made to care

\ - don’t cross the bridge till you come to it

\ - what the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over

\ - God makes the back to the burden

\ - God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb

\ - don’t halloo till you are out of the wood

\ - when you are in a hole, stop digging

\ - the mother of mischief is no bigger than a midge’s wing

\ - those who play at bowls must look out for rubbers

\ - if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem

\ - the squeaking wheel gets the grease

\ - a trouble shared is a trouble halved

\ - never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you
\ trust and scepticism
\ - believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see

\ - seeing is believing

\ - three things are not to be trusted: a cow’s horn, a dog’s tooth, and a horse’s hoof
\ truth
see also reality and illusion

\ - children and fools tell the truth

\ - what everybody says must be true

\ - the greater the truth, the greater the libel

\ - a lie is halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on

\ - what is new cannot be true

\ - what the soldier said isn’t evidence

\ - tell the truth and shame the devil

\ - many a true word is spoken in jest

\ - there is truth in wine

\ - truth is the first casualty of war

\ - truth lies at the bottom of a well

\ - truth makes the devil blush

\ - truth will out
\ uncertainty
see certainty and uncertainty
\ unity and division
\ - a house divided cannot stand

\ - when spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion

\ - union is strength

\ - united we stand, divided we fall
\ value
\ - the nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat

\ - gold may be bought too dear

\ - a king’s chaff is worth more than other men’s corn

\ - it is a poor dog that’s not worth whistling for

\ - the worth of a thing is what it will bring
\ variety
\ - it takes all sorts to make a world

\ - variety is the spice of life
\ villainy
see wrong-doers
\ violence
\ - blood will have blood

\ - when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers

\ - killing no murder

\ - murder will out
\ virtue
\ - the best of men are but men at best

\ - to the pure all things are pure

\ - virtue is its own reward
\ wanting and having
see also greed

\ - appetite comes with eating

\ - the best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley

\ - the cat would eat fish, but would not wet her feet

\ - he that would eat the fruit must climb the tree

\ - if ifs and ands were pots and pans, there’d be no work for tinkers’ hands

\ - no pain, no gain

\ - nothing venture, nothing gain

\ - nothing venture, nothing have

\ - if you run after two hares you will catch neither

\ - seek and ye shall find

\ - the wish is father to the thought

\ - if wishes were horses, beggars would ride
\ warfare
\ - attack is the best form of defence

\ - councils of war never fight

\ - the best defense is a good offense

\ - all’s fair in love and war

\ - truth is the first casualty of war
\ waste
\ - haste makes waste

\ - do not throw pearls to swine

\ - spare at the spigot, and let out at the bung-hole

\ - waste not, want not

\ - wilful waste makes woeful want
\ ways and means
\ - different strokes for different folks

\ - dirty water will quench fire

\ - easy does it

\ - never do evil that good may come of it

\ - fight fire with fire

\ - he who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day

\ - fire is a good servant but a bad master

\ - first catch your hare

\ - when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

\ - the longest way round is the shortest way home

\ - you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs

\ - one size does not fit all

\ - don’t put the cart before the horse

\ - revolutions are not made with rose-water

\ - all roads lead to Rome

\ - give a man rope enough and he will hang himself

\ - there is no royal road to learning

\ - slow and steady wins the race

\ - slow but sure

\ - softly, softly, catchee monkey

\ - there is more than one way to skin a cat

\ - there are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream

\ - there are more ways of killing a dog than choking it with butter

\ - there are more ways of killing a dog than hanging it

\ - where there’s a will, there’s a way

\ - he who wills the end, wills the means
\ weakness
see strength and weakness
\ wealth
see riches
\ weather lore
see also calendar lore

\ - April showers bring forth May flowers

\ - there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes

\ - if Candlemas day be sunny and bright, winter will have another flight; if Candlemas day be cloudy with rain, winter is gone, and won’t come again

\ - as the day lengthens, so the cold strengthens

\ - a dripping June sets all in tune

\ - if in February there be no rain, ’tis neither good for hay nor grain

\ - a green Yule makes a fat churchyard

\ - long foretold, long last; short notice, soon past

\ - March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb

\ - so many mists in March, so many frosts in May

\ - north wind doth blow, we shall have snow

\ - when the oak is before the ash, then you will only get a splash; when the ash is before the oak, then you may expect a soak

\ - a peck of March dust is worth a king’s ransom

\ - rain before seven, fine before eleven

\ - red sky at night, shepherd’s delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning

\ - Robin Hood could brave all weathers but a thaw wind

\ - if Saint Paul’s day be fair and clear, it will betide a happy year

\ - Saint Swithun’s day, if thou be fair, for forty days it will remain; Saint Swithun’s day, if thou bring rain, for forty days it will remain

\ - September blow soft, till the fruit’s in the loft

\ - the sharper the storm, the sooner it’s over

\ - when the wind is in the east, ’tis neither good for man nor beast
\ weddings
\ - happy is the bride that the sun shines on

\ - always a bridesmaid, never a bride

\ - dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage

\ - marry in May, rue for aye

\ - one wedding brings another

\ - happy’s the wooing that is not long a-doing
\ wilfulness
see obstinacy
\ winners and losers
see also gains and losses

\ - let them laugh that win

\ - he laughs best who laughs last

\ - he who laughs last, laughs longest

\ - what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts

\ - you cannot lose what you never had

\ - what a neighbour gets is not lost

\ - the weakest go to the wall

\ - you win a few, you lose a few

\ - you can’t win them all
\ wisdom
\ - you cannot catch old birds with chaff

\ - experience is the father of wisdom

\ - fools ask questions that wise men cannot answer

\ - know thyself

\ - knowledge is power

\ - one cannot love and be wise

\ - out of the mouths of babes

\ - you cannot put an old head on young shoulders

\ - a still tongue makes a wise head
\ wishes
see under wanting and having
\ wives and husbands
see also marriage

\ - better be an old man’s darling, than a young man’s slave

\ - a blind man’s wife needs no paint

\ - the grey mare is the better horse

\ - the husband is always the last to know

\ - he that will thrive must first ask his wife
\ women
\ - never choose your women or your linen by candlelight

\ - the female of the species is more deadly than the male

\ - the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world

\ - hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

\ - long and lazy, little and loud; fat and fulsome, pretty and proud

\ - silence is a woman’s best garment

\ - a whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor men

\ - a woman, a dog, and a walnut tree, the more you beat them the better they be

\ - a woman and a ship ever want mending

\ - a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle

\ - a woman’s place is in the home

\ - a woman’s work is never done
\ words and deeds
\ - actions speak louder than words

\ - a barking dog never bites

\ - a bellowing cow soon forgets her calf

\ - Brag is a good dog, but Holdfast is better

\ - do as I say, not as I do

\ - empty vessels make the most sound

\ - example is better than precept

\ - fine words butter no parsnips

\ - much cry and little wool

\ - an ounce of practice is worth a pound of precept

\ - practise what you preach

\ - sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me

\ - talk is cheap
\ work
see also diligence; trades and skills

\ - another day, another dollar

\ - a bad workman blames his tools

\ - never send a boy to do a man’s job

\ - two boys are half a boy, and three boys are no boy at all

\ - you cannot make bricks without straw

\ - business before pleasure

\ - he who can, does; he who cannot, teaches

\ - let the cobbler stick to his last

\ - the cobbler to his last and the gunner to his linstock

\ - every man to his trade

\ - fools and bairns should never see half-done work

\ - why keep a dog and bark yourself?

\ - keep no more cats than will catch mice

\ - the labourer is worthy of his hire

\ - many hands make light work

\ - pay beforehand was never well served

\ - a short horse is soon curried

\ - if a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well

\ - too many cooks spoil the broth

\ - a woman’s work is never done

\ - all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

\ - work expands so as to fill the time available

\ - if you won’t work you shan’t eat
\ worry
see stress
\ wrong-doers
see also error

\ - a bad penny always turns up

\ - cheats never prosper

\ - to err is human

\ - evil doers are evil dreaders

\ - the greater the sinner, the greater the saint

\ - a guilty conscience needs no accuser

\ - hang a thief when he’s young, and he’ll no’ steal when he’s old

\ - there is honour among thieves

\ - an idle brain is the devil’s workshop

\ - ill weeds grow apace

\ - little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape

\ - offenders never pardon

\ - old sins cast long shadows

\ - once a whore, always a whore

\ - an old poacher makes the best gamekeeper

\ - if there were no receivers, there would be no thieves

\ - give a man rope enough and he will hang himself

\ - set a thief to catch a thief

\ - when thieves fall out, honest men come by their own
\ youth
\ - whom the gods love die young

\ - the good die young

\ - you cannot put an old head on young shoulders

\ - soon ripe, soon rotten

\ - wanton kittens make sober cats

\ - young folks think old folks to be fools, but old folks know young folks to be fools

\ - a young man married is a young man marred

\ - young saint, old devil

\ - youth must be served

\ - if youth knew, if age could

Look at other dictionaries:

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Proverbs new dictionary

Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, Thematic Index

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