"a stitch in time saves nine" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From the practice of mending a small tear in cloth when first noticed (\"in time\"), before it becomes a larger one requiring more stitches.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "a stitch in time saves nine"
      },
      "expansion": "a stitch in time saves nine",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "a stitch in time saves nine"
      },
      "expansion": "a stitch in time saves nine",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Nine",
          "orig": "en:Nine",
          "parents": [
            "Numbers",
            "All topics",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A little effort expended sooner to fix a small problem prevents it from becoming a larger problem requiring more effort to fix later."
      ],
      "id": "en-a_stitch_in_time_saves_nine-en-proverb-Chrhso4g",
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "never put off until tomorrow what you can do today"
        },
        {
          "word": "there's no time like the present"
        },
        {
          "word": "prevention is better than cure"
        },
        {
          "word": "an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "小洞不補，大洞吃苦"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "小洞不补"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "xiǎo dòng bù bǔ, dà dòng chīkǔ",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "大洞吃苦"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "防微杜漸"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "fángwēidùjiàn",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "防微杜渐"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "english": "half the work, twice the effect",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "shìbàngōngbèi",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "事半功倍"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "udsæt ikke til i morgen, det du kan gøre i dag"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "werk op tijd maakt welbereid"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "parempi oja tukkia kuin joki"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "un point fait à temps en épargne cent"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "mieux vaut prévenir que guérir"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "was du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf morgen"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "kállio gaïdouródene pará gaïdourogýreve",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "κάλλιο γαϊδουρόδενε παρά γαϊδουρογύρευε"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "a rest kétszer fárad"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "meglio prevenire che curare"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "prevenire è meglio che curare"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "è meglio prevenire che curare"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kyō no hitohari asu no tohari",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "今日の一針明日の十針"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "note": "호미로 막을 것을 가래로 막는다 (homiro mageul geoseul garaero mangneunda, literally “what can be stopped up with a short-handled hoe must be done with a shovel later”)",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "utsett ikke til i morgen, det du kan gjøre i dag"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "lepiej zapobiegać niż leczyć"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "é melhor prevenir do que remediar"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "odín stežók, sdélannyj vóvremja, stóit devjatí",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "оди́н стежо́к, сде́ланный во́время, сто́ит девяти́"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "ono što možeš učiniti danas, ne ostavljaj za sutra"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "más vale prevenir que curar"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "bättre att stämma i bäcken än i ån"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "tags": [
            "ellipsis"
          ],
          "word": "stämma i bäcken"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
          "word": "bir mıh nal kurtarır, bir nal bir at kurtarır"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "a stitch in time saves nine"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From the practice of mending a small tear in cloth when first noticed (\"in time\"), before it becomes a larger one requiring more stitches.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "a stitch in time saves nine"
      },
      "expansion": "a stitch in time saves nine",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "a stitch in time saves nine"
      },
      "expansion": "a stitch in time saves nine",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "never put off until tomorrow what you can do today"
    },
    {
      "word": "there's no time like the present"
    },
    {
      "word": "prevention is better than cure"
    },
    {
      "word": "an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs",
        "English rhyming phrases",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "en:Nine"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A little effort expended sooner to fix a small problem prevents it from becoming a larger problem requiring more effort to fix later."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "小洞不補，大洞吃苦"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "小洞不补"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "xiǎo dòng bù bǔ, dà dòng chīkǔ",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "大洞吃苦"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "防微杜漸"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "fángwēidùjiàn",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "防微杜渐"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "english": "half the work, twice the effect",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "shìbàngōngbèi",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "事半功倍"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "udsæt ikke til i morgen, det du kan gøre i dag"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "werk op tijd maakt welbereid"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "parempi oja tukkia kuin joki"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "un point fait à temps en épargne cent"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "mieux vaut prévenir que guérir"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "was du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf morgen"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "kállio gaïdouródene pará gaïdourogýreve",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "κάλλιο γαϊδουρόδενε παρά γαϊδουρογύρευε"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "a rest kétszer fárad"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "meglio prevenire che curare"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "prevenire è meglio che curare"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "è meglio prevenire che curare"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kyō no hitohari asu no tohari",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "今日の一針明日の十針"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "note": "호미로 막을 것을 가래로 막는다 (homiro mageul geoseul garaero mangneunda, literally “what can be stopped up with a short-handled hoe must be done with a shovel later”)",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "utsett ikke til i morgen, det du kan gjøre i dag"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "lepiej zapobiegać niż leczyć"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "é melhor prevenir do que remediar"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "odín stežók, sdélannyj vóvremja, stóit devjatí",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "оди́н стежо́к, сде́ланный во́время, сто́ит девяти́"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "ono što možeš učiniti danas, ne ostavljaj za sutra"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "más vale prevenir que curar"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "bättre att stämma i bäcken än i ån"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "tags": [
        "ellipsis"
      ],
      "word": "stämma i bäcken"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "a timely effort can prevent larger problems",
      "word": "bir mıh nal kurtarır, bir nal bir at kurtarır"
    }
  ],
  "word": "a stitch in time saves nine"
}