Christmas comes but once a year

Apparently coined by the English poet Thomas Tusser (c. 1524 – 1580): see the 1580 quotation.

coinage

At Christmas play and make good cheere, / For Christmas comes but once a yeere.

1878, Thomas Tusser, “The Fermers Dailie Diet”, in Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC; republished as W[illiam] Payne, Sidney J[ohn Hervon] Herrtage, editors, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], 1878, →OCLC, stanza 5, page 28:

Chriſtmaſſe commeth but once a yeere.

1623, M. N. [pseudonym; William Camden], “Certaine Prouerbes, Poemes or Poesies, Epigrammes, Rhythmes, and Epitaphs of the English Nation in Former Times, and Some of This Present Age”, in Remaines, Concerning Britaine: […], 3rd edition, London: […] Nicholas Okes, for Simon Waterson, […], →OCLC, page 267:

I urged to the good lady that this was Christmas-eve; that Christmas comes but once a year,—which is unhappily too true, for when it begins to stay with us the whole year round we shall make this earth a very different place; […]

1854, Charles Dickens, “The Seven Poor Travellers. Chapter I. In the Old City of Rochester.”, in Christmas Stories […] (The Works of Charles Dickens; XV), de luxe edition, London: Chapman and Hall, published 1881, →OCLC, page 5:

"Christmas comes but once a year, / And then Mother wishes it wasn't here."

1901, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “A Christmas Mistake”, in Short Stories: 1896—1901:

Christmas comes but once a year, which is just as well—shopping during the festive season can be no fun at all.

2006 December 9, Lila Das Gupta, “Christmas gifts”, in The Daily Telegraph, London: Telegraph Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC:

Used to emphasize the annual distinctiveness of Christmas, especially in contexts where either the special joys or tribulations of the holiday are described.


a change is as good as a rest

"I guess there's a novelty factor element involved in working them. I think drivers like driving different traction, and there might also be a 'change is as good as a rest' element.

2022 September 21, Brendan Rice, “Ready for inspection”, in RAIL, page 61:

Doing something different from one's routine is as refreshing as taking a break from work altogether.


you can't keep a good man down

En-au-you can't keep a good man down.ogg

"Isn't it perfectly splendid, Mr. Pepper, to think that Archie's genius has at last been recognized? How quiet he kept it. I had no idea that Mr. Brackett was even interested in his work. I wonder how he heard of it?"
"Oh, these things get about," I said. "You can't keep a good man down."

You can't keep a good man down. Like the corpse in The Trouble with Harry who just won't stay buried, Alfred Hitchcock keeps popping out of his grave to terrify and delight new audiences.

1984 March 26, Richard Corliss, “Cinema: The Master Who Knew Too Much”, in Time, retrieved 2018-01-18:

He cut a sorry figure after the thumping by England, but you can't keep a good man down. That familiar mix of manic energy and piratical lunacy enabled the totemic Irishman to reassert his status as a world-class performer.

2000 April 3, Chris Hewett, “Rugby: Running talent will put life into Lions”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 2018-01-18:

Dunlop suffered a coronary arrest—his heart stopped for almost six minutes. But even at 85, you can't keep a good man down, and he was able to recover.

2013 January 22, Jack Goodstein, “Music Review: Boyd Lee Dunlop—The Lake Reflections”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 2018-01-18:

A person who has talent, resolve, or moral strength will eventually succeed despite having been overlooked, injured, or defeated.


ill news spreads apace

Aware of the too great proneness of his countrymen to ideas of despondency, knowing that ill news spreads apace, and that in an overgrown metropolis few have the opportunity of ocular demonstration of the state of the country's agriculture, this insidious letter has been written, that it might become the subject of conversation, and thus glide unawares into the ears of those who are inclined to view things on the gloomy side— If it only raise doubt, much of the writer's or his abettor's views are answered; but where it is received as fast, and thus propagated to others, every purpose he intended is fulfilled.

1812, The Scouge; or Monthly Expositor of Imposture and Folly, Vol IV, page 135:

Ill news spreads apace, nor was it long before the tale reached Ertha von Reuth.

1908, Norman Innes, My lady's kiss: a romance, page 127:

Ill news spreads apace, and I found, on returning to the stage, Miss Foote and Mrs. Edmund Phelps crying bitterly, and waiting to descend with their condolences on the poor mother when she came out of her dressing-room; but I bundled both the ladies out of the theatre, for which, of course, I was put down as an unsympathetic brute!

1915, Townsend Walsh, The Career of Dion Boucicault, page 146:

(archaic) Bad news circulates quickly because people tend to gossip.


a fault confessed is half redressed

By confessing to one's own faults, one will begin to make amends.

beter ten halve gekeerd dan ten hele gedwaald


the house always wins

Don't go to that casino. All their games are designed to make you lose more money than you earn, so that the house always wins.

In a casino, all gambling is designed so that the house (i.e. the casino owners) will always net a profit, regardless of the successes of individual patrons.

The more we sell in our shop, the more profit for all of us. Our customers will be happy, but the house always wins.

The Reddit amateurs may be gloating about their victory over elite hedge funds now, but in the casino of Wall Street the house always wins, and many Redditors may be flirting with financial catastrophe.

2021 February 3, Farhad Manjoo, “Can We Please Stop Talking About Stocks, Please?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(by extension) A given system is designed to net a profit for, or benefit, some (specified or implied) people.

... thermodynamics has its way. The end may be a long time coming, but come it must: the odds cannot be beaten. Sooner or later, the timelessness of equilibrium sets in. In the gambling casino of nature, the house always wins.

2005 November 1, Michael Munowitz, Knowing: The Nature of Physical Law, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 282:

(by extension) In a given system or situation, over a long enough timescale, a particular (specified or implied) outcome is inevitable.


rules are rules

The rules are certain and cannot be ignored or worked around.


rules is rules

(slang, nonstandard) Alternative form of rules are rules.


like father like son

like father, like son
like father, like son#English

Alternative form of like father, like son.


bi now, gay later

A pun on the marketing phrase "buy now, pay later".

One of the most common misconceptions about bisexuality is that it's some kind of stepping-stone on the way to coming out "all the way," as gay and/or lesbian. This pernicious stereotype, sometimes referred to as “bi now, gay later,” is often used to warn straight people away from dating bi folks. […] If “bi now, gay later” is one side of an offensive, disrespectful coin, the LUG (or “lesbian until graduation”) stereotype is its counterpart.

2016, Lindsay King-Miller, Ask a Queer Chick: A Guide to Sex, Love, and Life for Girls Who Dig Girls, Penguin, →ISBN:

"And I did that usual sort of bi now gay later thing, so I was like I'm bisexual, I'm bisexual, I like women as well. Just to make it more acceptable."

2021, Estella Ferraro, Wilful Blindness: On the Relationship of Identity, Agency and Personal, Springer Nature, page 162, quoting a man named John

(humorous, offensive) A slogan suggesting that bisexual people tend to become exclusively homosexual later in life.


en-proverb

don't count your chickens before the eggs have hatched

don't count your chickens before they're hatched#English

Alternative form of don't count your chickens before they're hatched.


dance with the one that brought you

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-dance with the one that brought you.wav

"I have had people say, ‘Oh, the landscaping business is doing OK. So, you're going to get out of tobacco farming.’ No! I would like to see my landscaping business grow. But, without the cash flow from the farm, I would not have been able to start the landscaping operation," the Bunn, N.C., farmer stresses. "As they say, you dance with the one that brought you."

1986, Cooperative Farmer, Vols 42-43, p. 77. (Google snippet view) (retrieved 9 May 2018)

Sometimes you have to dance with the one that brought you. And, ever since he won a crucial Game Four in Cleveland on 16 days rest in the 1998 ALCS, Torre has trusted Hernandez more than any of his starters.

2000 October 18, Thomas Boswell, “Unlike the Boss, Torre Recognizes the Right Stuff”, in Washington Post, retrieved 2018-05-09:

Obama’s approval ratings have fallen below 40 percent. “Dance with the one that brought you,” the saying goes, but when you are a Senate Democrat stuck with the wrong prom date, there’s only one thing to do: hide in the bathroom.

2014 February 17, John E. Sununu, “Keeping Obama at arm’s length”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 2018-05-09:

I mention this Canadian Conservative Prime Minister because he coined the political adage ‘you dance with the one that brought you’. In less colourful terms Mulroney meant that a Prime Minister should ‘never, ever ignore his party’s base’.

2016 April 30, James Allan, “Leaving the dance with the one who brought you”, in Spectator, UK, retrieved 2018-05-09:

(chiefly US and Canada, informal, colloquial) To be considerate and loyal to the person who has been supportive, attentive, or helpful.


leave with the one that brought ya

dance with the one that brought you#English

Synonym of dance with the one that brought you.


dance with the one that brought ya

Alternative form of dance with the one that brought you.


better safe then sorry

better safe than sorry
better safe than sorry#English


en-au-give someone an inch and someone will take a mile.ogg

give them an inch and they'll take a mile#English

(idiomatic) Alternative form of give them an inch and they'll take a mile.


the odds are good, but the goods are odd

(humorous) There are plenty of potential romantic/sexual partners available, but many of them are strange or eccentric people.


three times a charm

third time's a charm
third time's a charm#English

Alternative form of third time's a charm.


those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those doing it

Possibly from a Chicago newspaper in 1903: “Things move along so rapidly nowadays that people saying: ‘It can’t be done,’ are always being interrupted by somebody doing it.” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/world/asia/ivanka-trump-china-summit-korea.html

People who dispute that a task is possible should not impede those people who attempt to do it.


put one's hand to the plough

From the King James translation of Luke 9:62 (“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”).


even a blind pig can find an acorn

even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while#English

Alternative form of even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while.


fish and company stink after three days

A guest who overstays will cease to be welcome.


it ain't over till the fat lady sings

it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings#English

Alternative spelling of it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.


don't get your meat where you get your bread

you don't dip your pen in company ink#English

Synonym of you don't dip your pen in company ink.


misfortunes never come alone

misfortunes never come singly
misfortunes never come singly#English

Alternative form of misfortunes never come singly.


the grey mare is the better horse

The wife, not the husband, is in charge of the household.


needs must

“Needs must,” and the haughty summons of Britain rings even in the impregnable heart of Thibet. This is the mission of Empire, the will of a dominant people bent on advancing the interests of trade.

1905, The Chronicle of the London Missionary Society, page 199:

"Needs must and all that – and the devil so often does, doesn't he?" “Excuse me?" "Drives – the devil. Such a relentless old bugger."

1999, Jill Laurimore, Going to Pot, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 155:

needs must when the devil drives#English

Ellipsis of needs must when the devil drives.


give them an inch and they'll take an ell

I will yet thrive, (I say), as good is an ynch / As an ell. Yee can, (quoth shee), make it so well, / For when I gave you an inch, you tooke an ell, / Till both ell and inch be gone, and we in det.

1546, John Heywood, chapter IX, in Julian Sharman, editor, The Proverbs of John Heywood. […], London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1874, →OCLC, part II, page 161:

Archaic form of give them an inch and they'll take a mile.


you don't get something for nothing

you can't get something for nothing (alternative)
you don’t get owt for nowt (alternative)

There's half the fight won, first off."
"Osterman bribed him, I suppose," observed Magnus.
Annixter raised a shoulder vexatiously.
"You've got to pay for what you get," he returned. "You don't get something for nothing, I guess."

1901, Frank Norris, chapter 5, in The Octopus:

"You don't get something for nothing," said Richard Hannah, an analyst for Phillips & Drew, a London brokerage house. "For the 40 percent return, you take one bloody huge risk."

1987 November 15, Steve Lohr, “Eurotunnel's Day of Reckoning”, in New York Times, retrieved 2018-09-20:

As the saying goes, you don't get something for nothing—especially not where sex is concerned. Just as the terrors of HIV followed the joys of the sexual revolution, so it seems that Pfizer's anti-impotence wonder drug, Viagra, carries with it more health risks than anyone suspected.

1998 September 3, Chris Taylor, “The Blue Pill Blues”, in Time, retrieved 2018-09-20:

Melanie Phillips, who defends the institution of marriage and is not keen to extend property rights to cohabiting couples, says: "The law is based on justice; justice requires that you don't get something for nothing. You don't claim rights if you don't enter into obligations."

2007 August 20, Stuart Jeffries, “To have and to hold”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 2018-09-20:

One cannot expect to receive some benefit if one does not pay for it in some way or does not face a counterbalancing hazard or harm.

the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs


you can't get something for nothing

you don't get something for nothing#English

Alternative form of you don't get something for nothing.


devil lies in the details

devil is in the details
devil is in the details#English

(idiomatic) Synonym of devil is in the details.


there's many a slip between the cup and the lip

Multa cadunt inter calicem supremaque labra. […] There is many a slip between the cup and the lip.

[1797, Thomas Browne, “Ancaeus”, in A New Classical Dictionary for the Use of Schools, […], London: […] G[eorge] G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson, […]; and E[lizabeth] Newbery, […], →OCLC, signature D, recto, column 1:

That "there is many a slip between the cup and the lip" is a proverb somewhat musty; but it pithily indicates the sudden mutations to which poor humanity is liable.

[1835, [Catharine Sedgwick], chapter XXIX, in The Linwoods; or, “Sixty Years since” in America. […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 139:

There's many a slip between the cup and the lip! Who knows what may happen, Mr. Huxter, or who will sit in Parliament for Clavering next session?

1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, “Mr. and Mrs. Sam. Huxter”, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume II, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 332:

there's many a slip twixt cup and lip#English

Alternative form of there's many a slip twixt cup and lip.


claret would be port if it could

Everybody would change their circumstances if it were possible.


what wins on Sunday sells on Monday

win on Sunday, sell on Monday (alternative)
wins on Sunday, sells on Monday (alternative)

Doesn't anyone remember the axiom that what wins on Sunday sells on Monday? Automotive execs may wonder whether that still applies, but you can bet they know who won before they go to bed each Sunday night.

1991 July 3, Al Pearce, “General Motors likely to reduce NASCAR funds”, in Daily Press, Virginia, US, retrieved 2018-10-15:

"The automakers have provided a lot of money and support for NASCAR," Baker said. "They believe that what wins on Sunday sells on Monday."

2008 December 20, Don Crinklaw, “Life in the fast lane”, in Sun-Sentinel, Florida, US, retrieved 2018-10-15:

"Chevrolet wants to have an engine running after midyear so by July we want to be running it on the track in car tests," Penske said. "They say what wins on Sunday sells on Monday."

2011 April 8, Bruce Martin, “Penske talks future in IndyCar, Danica's foray in NASCAR, more”, in Sports Illustrated, retrieved 2018-10-15:

Auto racing was a glamorous extension of Detroit's iconic position in American life, where "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" was gospel truth.

2012 May 22, Micheline Maynard, “'Mad Men' And The Glory Of Mid-1960s Cars”, in Forbes, retrieved 2018-10-15:

(chiefly US, marketing, motor sports) A brand of automobile that performs well in racing competitions will be popular with retail purchasers.

There's an old saying in the golf industry: What wins on Sunday sells on Monday. Golfers are the ultimate copycats.

2006 April 13, Ed Sherman, “Dual-driver bag is not for duffers”, in Chicago Tribune, retrieved 2018-10-15:

(chiefly US, marketing, by extension) Any equipment available to consumers that performs well in widely-viewed public events on weekends can be expected to receive higher retail sales subsequently.


race on Sunday, sell on Monday

what wins on Sunday sells on Monday#English

Synonym of what wins on Sunday sells on Monday.


win on Sunday, sell on Monday

Alternative form of what wins on Sunday sells on Monday.


every law has its loophole

There is always a way to work around the restrictions imposed by rules.

закон — что дышло: куда повернёшь — туда и вышло (zakon — što dyšlo: kuda povernjóšʹ — tuda i vyšlo)


you can't go home again

From the novel You Can't Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe (1900–1938), published posthumously in 1940. Wolfe took the title from a conversation with the writer Ella Winter, who remarked to Wolfe: "Don't you know you can't go home again?" Wolfe then asked Winter for permission to use the phrase as the title of his book.

The organizers of a surprisingly refreshing program called "Judson Dance Theater Reconstruction" know that you can't go home again. Instead, they have tried to re-create that home if ever so briefly—even if it was a home these same young organizers never knew.

1982 April 18, Anna Kisselgoff, “Dance: Judson Theater Remembered”, in New York Times, retrieved 2018-11-05:

As novelist Thomas Wolfe (1930s, not 1960s, version) declared in one of his book titles, You Can't Go Home Again—because home isn't there anymore.

2001 June 24, George J. Church, “Jobs in an Age of Insecurity”, in Time, retrieved 2018-11-05:

The Americans have a phrase for it: you can't go home again. Once you leave, that is it. […] [H]is time has come and gone, as he confessed when he retired from Test cricket three years ago. And gone means gone.

2009 August 12, Michael Henderson, “The Ashes: Marcus Trescothick's health is more important than England winning”, in Telegraph (UK), retrieved 2018-11-05:

Past times which are fondly remembered are irrecoverably in the past and cannot be relived.

Ella Winter
Thomas Wolfe
You Can't Go Home Again


you can't step in the same river twice

En-au-you can't step in the same river twice.ogg

Direct translation from Heraclitus, "δὶς ἐς τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν οὐκ ἂν ἐμβαίης."

lang

(idiomatic) It is not possible to repeat past experiences, as time changes all things.


it takes all sorts

it takes all sorts to make a world#English

Ellipsis of it takes all sorts to make a world.


it takes all sorts to make a world

it takes all kinds to make a world#English

Alternative form of it takes all kinds to make a world.


en-proverb

one hair of a woman can draw more than a hundred pair of oxen

Women have great influence on their male partners or husbands and can have anything done for them.

women have great influence on their male partners

estira més un pèl de figa que una maroma de vaixell

tira più un pelo di fica che un carro di buoi

literally a pussy hair draws more than a ox-drawn cart

un pelo de concha tira más que una yunta de bueyes

behind every successful man there stands a woman


the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature

One cannot change one's nature, no matter how much time passes.

ḳuzians samare gaasc̣orebs da zogǯer isic verao

კუზიანს სამარე გაასწორებს და ზოგჯერ ისიც ვერაო

virs bevri scemes, magram tavisi ar moišalao

ვირს ბევრი სცემეს, მაგრამ თავისი არ მოიშალაო

datvs anbans asc̣avlidnen da is baṭḳnisḳen iq̇urebodao

დათვს ანბანს ასწავლიდნენ და ის ბატკნისკენ იყურებოდაო

der Wolf ändert wohl sein Haar, aber er bleibt, wie er war

o lýkos ki an egérase ki ásprise to mallí tou, míte ti gnómi állaxe, míte tin kefalí tou

ο λύκος κι αν εγέρασε κι άσπρισε το μαλλί του, μήτε τη γνώμη άλλαξε, μήτε την κεφαλή του

volk každyj god linjajet, da obyčaja ne menjajet

волк каждый год линяет, да обычая не меняет


the fox may grow grey but never good

les loups peuvent perdre leurs dents, mais non le naturel


A conflation of two Biblical references:
* Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry
* Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we [shall] die
A direct quote from the Book of Mormon:
* Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

These warnings sound strange to our lives, molded so often on the assumption that this life is the only one we can be sure of, and hence, while we have it, we should eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

1936 March 30, Fulton J[ohn] Sheen, “Dying to Live”, in The Moral Universe: A Preface to Christian Living, Milwaukee, Wis.: The Bruce Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 51:

But are more inclined to take for their guide the maxim of "a penny saved is a penny got" than that of "let us eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die."

1977, Bartlett Jere Whiting, Early American Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, →ISBN, page 127:

Eat, drink, and be merry / For tomorrow, we'll die / Cause we're tripping billies

1996, “Tripping Billies”, in Remember Two Things, performed by Dave Matthews Band:

The younger decided to leave and live the fast life and be carefree—eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

2013, Carvel Collins, Fighting With Purpose: I'm in It to Win It, →ISBN, page 106:

Vovo said, only half arguing, “Who can you point out that ever profited by this moderation teaching? Who in history every got anywhere practicing moderation? Some say you must live to the hilt. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”

2011, Mack Reynolds, Tomorrow Might Be Different, →ISBN:

I’ve got some decent Margaux in the cellar. Let’s get back to my place tout de suite and crack it open. You know what they say. Eat, drink, and be merry. For tomorrow we die.

2017, Simon Kernick, chapter 49, in The Hanged Man, London: Century, →ISBN, page 295:

Life is short, so you should enjoy it while you can.

Instead of saying as the epicure, "let us eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die;" or on the other hand, murmuring against the appointments of God, and indulging our vain objections; let us seek for a lively hope, a submissive will, and a contented mind

1815, Thomas Scott, The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments : with original notes, practical observation, and copious marginal references, page 35:

Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

1830, Joseph Smith Jr., chapter 28, in The Book of Mormon^(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon_(1981)/2_Nephi#Chapter_28), 2 Nephi:

Americans are led to believe that the normal American family consists of children and adults who are disrespectful to their elders, make a practice of lying, use situational ethics to solve problems, cheat on their mates, indulge in pre-marital sex, deny the existence of God, and live by the belief that we must eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

1993, Brannon Howse, “Hollywood and the Media: War on the Traditional Family”, in Cradle to College: Stopping the Educational Abduction of America’s Children, Before It’s Too Late!, Green Forest, Ark.: New Leaf Press, →ISBN, page 174:

But, clearly, hedonism was not his personal philosophy. Unlike those who suggest that we should eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die, he found no ultimate satisfaction in living in the moment just for the experience of pleasure.

2004, Michael G. Long, “Keep On Keeping On: Creative Living in the Past, Present, and Future”, in Martin Luther King Jr. on Creative Living, St. Louis, Mo.: Chalice Press, →ISBN, page 67:

In speaking pejoratively of epicurean beliefs.


the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette

In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that some sacrifices be made.

ei makaavan kissan suuhun hiiri juokse

some sacrifices must be made for something to be achieved

xóčetsja rýbku sʺjestʹ, da ne xóčetsja v vódu leztʹ

хо́чется ры́бку съесть, да не хо́чется в во́ду лезть


head

every man is the architect of his own fortune

Each person is the chief cause of their success or failure in life.

çdo njeri ndërton fatin e vet

each person is the chief cause of their success or failure

ĉiu kreas sian forton, ĉiu forĝas sian sorton

всяк своему́ сча́стью кузне́ц (vsjak svojemú sčástʹju kuznéc, literally “every man is the smith of his own fortune”)

as you make your bed, so you must lie in it


as you make your bed, so you must lie in it

One will carry negative consequences of not having prepared properly.

jak si kdo ustele, tak si lehne

you shall carry the burden of your poor preparation

сам ка́шу завари́л, сам и ку́шай

You've cooked the porridge so eat it yourself

vi du vest dikh leygn, azoy vestu shlofn

ווי דו וועסט דיך לייגן, אַזוי וועסטו שלאָפֿן


a creaking door hangs longest

Someone who is apparently in poor health may well outlive the ostensibly-stronger.

Something annoying or bothersome lasts the longest.

κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει

something annoying or bothersome lasts the longest


en-proverb

a creaking door hangs long on its hinges

a creaking door hangs longest
a creaking door hangs longest#English

Alternative form of a creaking door hangs longest.


if wishes were horses, beggars would ride

A response to someone wishing for something, conveying that merely wishing for something has no effect or is of no use.

if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas


it is darkest before the dawn

the darkest hour is just before the dawn#English

Alternative form of the darkest hour is just before the dawn.


head

it is always darkest just before the dawn


the darkest hour is always just before the dawn


two's company, three's trumpery

two's company, three's a crowd
two's company, three's a crowd#English

(dated) Synonym of two's company, three's a crowd.


play stupid games, win stupid prizes

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-play stupid games, win stupid prizes.wav

(humorous) If one makes poor decisions, then one should expect negative consequences.

if one makes poor decisions, then one should expect negative consequences

wie de billen brandt moet op de blaren zitten

gdyby kózka nie skakała, toby nóżki nie złamała


truth is stranger than fiction

fact is stranger than fiction (alternative)

It has often been said that truth is stranger than fiction. But what writer of the most extravagant fiction could have thought up such a life as that of William Kiffin? A poor orphan becoming one of the wealthiest merchants in the country; […]

1989, B. A. Ramsbottom, Stranger Than Fiction: The Life of William Kiffin, Gospel Standard Publications, →ISBN, page 7:

In the end, truth is stranger than fiction: reality has more complications, more unanticipable twists and turns than fiction could ever imagine.

2003, Nicholas Rescher, Imagining Irreality: A Study of Unreal Possibilities, Open Court Publishing, →ISBN, page 239:

Sometimes actual events are stranger than imagined ones.

totuus on tarua ihmeellisempää

sometimes actual events are stranger than imagined ones


fact is stranger than fiction

truth is stranger than fiction
truth is stranger than fiction#English

Alternative form of truth is stranger than fiction.


it's lonely at the top

A highly successful person in a particular field will inevitably suffer from a feeling of isolation.

高處不勝寒 /高处不胜寒

highly successful person will suffer from isolation


en-proverb

ask a silly question, get a silly answer

If one asks a question that is stupid or to which the answer is obvious, one should not be surprised or displeased to receive a silly or bizarre response.

ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer

wer dumm fragt, bekommt eine dumme Antwort


the nail that sticks out gets hammered down

Calque of Japanese 出る釘は打たれる (deru kugi wa utareru)

calque

(idiomatic) Those who are too different or conspicuous get criticized or sanctioned by others.

wer den Kopf zu weit aus dem Loch steckt, kann ihn leicht verlieren


spitters are quitters

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-spitters are quitters.wav

“I'm going to come. You need to stop unless you want me to do it in your mouth.” His voice was ragged and he was coming undone and I was thinking maybe I wasn't so bad at this after all and then his hand tightened on the back of my head and it was too late. I swallowed and then grinned up at him. “Spitters are quitters.” I rose to my feet as he collapsed on the bed again.

2013, Chelsea M. Cameron, Sweet Surrendering, →ISBN:

She takes it in her mouth almost reflexively. She sucks and jerks simultaneously. There's no way I can hold back. Ninety seconds of this and I've exploded all up in her throat. She swallows. Like a champion. Spitters are quitters.

2015, Caspar Vega, The Sexorcism of Amber Holloway:

(sex, informal, vulgar) It is better to swallow a sexual partner's semen after oral sex than to spit it out.


en-proverb

there's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip

Alternative form of there's many a slip twixt cup and lip.


bet the jockey, not the horse

bet on the jockey, not the horse (alternative)

(finance) One should invest based on the management team behind a venture, rather than on the product or service being sold.


when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras

Coined by American medical researcher Theodore Woodward.

coinage

(medicine, informal) When diagnosing a patient's symptoms, common ailments should be considered as more probable than rare ones.


bet on the jockey, not the horse

bet the jockey, not the horse
bet the jockey, not the horse#English

Alternative form of bet the jockey, not the horse.


drive for show, putt for dough

Chosen for the rhyme. See dough (“money”).

(golf, informal) Long drive shots may look impressive, but putting accuracy on the green is most important in order to win.


all is fish that comes to the net

all's fish that comes to the net (alternative)

But there is no question that all is fish that comes to the net with them unless the eye of the conservator is on them.

1861, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons, Reports from Commissioners, page 7:

Anything that happens can be used for one's advantage.


en-proverb

why buy a book when you can join a library?

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-why buy a book when you can join a library.wav

(humorous) Being available for sexual relationships with various people is preferable to committing oneself to a single partner.

why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free


you can lead horses to water, but you can't make them drink

you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink#English

Alternative form of you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.


cobbler, keep to your last

From last (“tool for shaping shoes”), related to the Latin phrase sutor, ne ultra crepidam.

shoemaker, stick to your last (alternative)

mind your own business
mind your own business

(idiomatic) Do not criticise matters outside your field of expertise; mind your own business.

skomager, bliv ved din læst

do not criticise matters outside your field of expertise

chacun son métier, les vaches seront bien gardées


a woman's work is never done

LL-Q1860 (eng)-NaomiAmethyst-a woman's work is never done.wav

From a traditional rhyming couplet, found in at least two forms:
: Man works till set of sun,
: Woman's work is never done.
: From rise of morn to set of sun
: Woman's work is never done.

Housework, which is generally considered women's work, is never finished.

one hair of a woman can draw more than a hundred pair of oxen

"Six o'clock, and working still! […] They say a woman's work is never done," remarked Ik Stanton, dropping into the easiest chair in the studio, "and for this reason, were there no other, your muse is evidently of the feminine persuasion."

1878, Edward Payson Roe, chapter 1, in A Face Illumined:

As Professor Myerhoff writes: "The adage 'A woman's work is never done' calls attention to the continuity of woman's tasks on a daily basis."

1979 April 1, Charles E. Silberman, “A Proper Way to Live”, in New York Times, retrieved 2019-07-07:

According to the old maxim, a woman’s work is never done. It certainly never counts, a least not by the economic formulae that figure out the wealth of a nation.

2010 October 30, Antonia Zerbisias, “Feminomics: calculating the value of 'women's work'”, in The Star, Canada, retrieved 2019-07-07:

They say a woman’s work is never done. If certain Brexiteers have their way, that might be truer than ever. […] [A] no-deal Brexit would mean a disastrous shortfall in care staff, which would force women out of the office and into unpaid social care roles, looking after elderly parents.

2018 August 7, Harriet Marsden, “Why should women do the hard, unpaid work after Brexit?”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 2019-07-07:

Women generally work long and hard, especially as they often are responsible for housework and care roles in addition to paid work.


it's a man's world

The real issue, says Fox, "is whether male and female roles are totally flexible and reversible." As far as Fox is concerned, the answer is no. Millett admits that "[…] All I did was substantiate a cliche which we all know — that it's a man's world."

1970 August 31, “Nation: Who's Come a Long Way, Baby?”, in Time, retrieved 2019-07-07:

It's a man's world. But the fact that men dominate television makes it a kind of zoo in which to study them.

1995 October 15, Lucy Ellmann, “It's a man's man's world”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 2019-07-07:

Blame culture. Or genes. Or Dilbert. In engineering, it's a man's world — for now.

2009 September 16, “Canada’s Best Professional Schools”, in Macleans, Canada, retrieved 2019-07-07:

"It's a man's world — the top echelons of politics and business here are all dominated by men," said Emily Lau.

2011 February 21, Bettina Wassener, “Women Still Face Barriers in Hong Kong”, in New York Times, retrieved 2019-07-07:

Society is organized in a manner that gives preferential status to males; most positions of authority are occupied by men.


behind every successful man there stands a woman

/bɪˈhaɪnd ˌɛvɹi səkˈsɛsfl̩ ˈmæn ðɛə ˈstændz ə ˈwʊmən/

/bɪˈhaɪnd ˌɛvɹi səkˈsɛsfl̩ ˈmæn ðɛɚ ˈstændz ə ˈwʊmən/

be
hind eve
ry suc
cess
ful man there stands a wo
man

behind every great man there stands a woman

A man’s achievements are made possible by the support and work of their wife or female partner.

وَرَاءَ كُلِّ رَجُلٍ عَظِيمٍ اِمْرَأَةٌ

men's success often depends on the support and work of their wives or female partners

hər uğurlu kişinin arxasında bir qadın dayanır

每個成功的男人背後都有一個女人 /每个成功的男人背后都有一个女人

měi gè chénggōng de nánrén bèihòu dōu yǒu yīgè nǚrén

jokaisen menestyvän miehen takana on nainen

tout homme qui réussit a une femme derrière lui

detrás dun gran home hai unha gran muller

ყოველი წარმატებული კაცის უკან ქალი დგას

q̇oveli c̣armaṭebuli ḳacis uḳan kali dgas

hinter jedem erfolgreichen Mann steht eine Frau

מאחורי כל גבר מצליח עומדת אישה

meakhoréy kol géver matslíakh omédet ishá

हर सफल पुरुष के पीछे एक महिला होती है

har saphal puruṣ ke pīche ek mahilā hotī hai

di belakang setiap pria sukses ada seorang wanita hebat

すべての成功した男の後ろに女がいる

subete no seikō shita otoko no ushiro ni onna ga iru

aiz katra veiksmīga vīrieša stāv sieviete

už kiekvieno sėkmingo vyro stovi moteris

por trás de todo grande homem existe uma grande mulher

za káždym uspéšnym mužčínoj stoít žénščina

за ка́ждым успе́шным мужчи́ной стои́т же́нщина

detrás de un gran hombre hay una gran mujer

bakom varje framgångsrik man står en kvinna

her başarılı erkeğin arkasında bir kadın vardır

đằng sau một người đàn ông thành công luôn có bóng dáng người phụ nữ

one hair of a woman can draw more than a hundred pair of oxen

the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world


behind every great man there stands a woman

behind every successful man there stands a woman#English

Synonym of behind every successful man there stands a woman (“men's success often depends on the support and work of their wives or female partners”).


let George do it

Sometimes explained as derived from French laissez faire à Georges, a satirical reference to the multiform activities of Cardinal Georges d'Amboise (1460–1510), but this is unlikely. Alternatively explained as a reference to Pullman porters, who were generically known as George.

(dated, US) Let someone else incur the cost of achieving the shared benefit.


failure to prepare is preparing to fail

Generally ascribed to Benjamin Franklin, who wrote, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”.

Failing to prepare will cause one to lose or fail.

proper planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance


there is no honor among thieves

there is no honour among thieves (alternative)

Most thieves lack a sense of honor and are not to be trusted.


death is the great leveller

death is the great leveler (alternative)


get woke, go broke

Attributed to American author John Ringo.

According to Ringo, the convention then pushed its conservative members out of its planning committee, attendance dropped over years, and it’s now defunct. “Get woke, go broke,” he says of any organization who bows to SJW pressure.

2018 April 17, Jon del Arroz, “Author John Ringo Responds to SJW Assault That Led to Sci-Fi Convention Ban”, in Dangerous, archived from the original on 2018-04-17:

Get woke, go broke isn’t just about money, it’s about credibility and truth. These people have been broken by their own pride, their sense of entitlement, and their own disdain of anyone who does not agree with them.

2018 May 19, David Prentice, “Code Red: The Coming Eruption”, in American Thinker:

This led to the biting critical slogan “Get woke, go broke” to characterise the commercial failure of “woke” (“politically enlightened”) policies in an open marketplace.

2019, Alexander Adams, Culture War: Art, Identity Politics and Cultural Entryism:

(informal, neologism, politics) Businesses that focus on social activism to align themselves with social justice are liable to lose customers.

éveillé mais fauché

businesses that attempt to align themselves with social justice causes are liable to lose customers

trop de politiquement correct c'est économiquement incorrect


the best defence is attack

attack is the best form of defence#English

Synonym of attack is the best form of defence.


you never miss the water till the well runs dry

take things for granted
take for granted

People tend to take things for granted that are easily available.

asiaa ei osaa arvostaa ennen kuin sen menettää

cow neva know di use a 'im tail till 'im lose it


you don't miss the water till the well runs dry

you never miss the water till the well runs dry#English

Alternative form of you never miss the water till the well runs dry.


the cow knows not the worth of its tail till it loses it

Calque of Jamaican Creole cow neva know di use a 'im tail till 'im lose it.

calque

Synonym of you never miss the water till the well runs dry.


attack is the best form of defense

Alternative spelling of attack is the best form of defence.


don't get above your raising

don't get above your raisin' (alternative)
getting above your raising (alternative)
getting above your raisin' (alternative)

(Southern US) Do not act in a manner not in keeping with the way you were brought up.


en-proverb

snitches get stitches and end up in ditches

snitches get stitches
snitches get stitches#English

(rare) Synonym of snitches get stitches.


head

there's none so blind as those who will not see

there are none so blind as those who will not see#English

Alternative form of there are none so blind as those who will not see.


en-proverb

Remember, the family that prays together stays together. Start with routine prayer, like saying a blessing at each meal.

2007, Clyde A. Bonar, Amen, I Say to You:

One does not have to read far into any Christian text on prayer to find the affirmation, “The family that prays together stays together.” Stanley Hauerwas questions the appropriateness of this aphorism, pointing out how an overemphasis on family stability can displace the fundamental role of the church and misconstrue the point of prayer.

2010, Julie Hanlon Rubio, Family Ethics: Practices for Christians, page 214:

They will get misty eyed and tell you that they believe families should worship together; after all, “the family that prays together stays together.”

2011, Calvin Miller, Letters to a Young Pastor:

Captured by the adage “the family that prays together stays together”— individuals in the United States feel that shared religious beliefs are a glue that strengthen familial bonds and deepen love between relatives.

2014, Melanie E. Brewster, Atheists in America, page 137:

Shared religious observance strengthens family stability.


From the use of mercury compounds in the treatment of venereal diseases before the discovery of antibiotics.

An eminent physiologist, in the bad old days when Salvarsan and certain other Hg compounds were the only known remedy for venereal diseases, is said to have warned his students that 'One night with Venus may mean a lifetime with Mercury'.

1976, Jenifer M. Baker, Marine ecology and oil pollution, page 13:

Vincent had opted for the mercury treatment, while Theo, afraid of the time involved ("One night with Venus, a lifetime with mercury')...

1995, Claire Cooperstein, Johanna: A Novel of the Van Gogh Family, page 112:

Early treatments with metals (arsenic, bismuth, mercury) led to the cynical summary of syphilitic infection as 'one night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury'.

1995, J. H. L. Playfair, Infection and immunity, page 146:

Many Welsh people had cause to regret the fact that, for one night of bliss with Venus, they spent a lifetime of regret with Mercury.

2005, Russell Davies, Hope and Heartbreak, page 311:

But he knew better than to get his hopes up. As the old saying went: one night in Venus and a lifetime of Mercury.

2012, Harold Anderson, Searching for Che, page 114:

A single sexual encounter can lead to a lifetime of disease and treatment.


shoemaker, stick to your last

cobbler, keep to your last
cobbler, keep to your last#English

Alternative form of cobbler, keep to your last.


fall seven times, stand up eight

Calque of Japanese 七転び八起き (nana korobi ya oki).

cal

One must not give up one's efforts, even those that are in vain.


don't fight the tape

(finance) Do not bet or trade against the trend in the financial markets.


en-proverb

Attributed to Daniel S. Greenberg, who wrote “Don’t ask the barber whether you need a haircut” in the November 1972 issue of the Saturday Review, popularizing the saying. It was made more famous by Warren Buffet in his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders.

You never ask the barber if you need a haircut. What do you think he will say? So corn farmers tell Congress that ethanol is good and will help stop the greenhouse effect and make cars run smoother and we will all be in energy heaven if we listen to them.

2013, Philip Theibert, Potato Chip Economics […] , John Hunt Publishing, →ISBN:


there's no smoke without fire

no smoke without fire
no smoke without fire#English

Alternative form of no smoke without fire.


close only counts in horseshoes and darts

close only counts in horseshoes
close only counts in horseshoes#English

(rare) Synonym of close only counts in horseshoes.


But, as they say, you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, so once it was out there for everybody to read there was no way of keeping it a secret and that inevitably led to me working it into continuity.

Once something is said or done, it cannot be unsaid or undone.

you can't put the shit back in the horse


you can't put the toothpaste back into the tube

you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube#English

Alternative form of you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.


the proof is in the eating

the proof of the pudding is in the eating#English

(less common) Alternative form of the proof of the pudding is in the eating.


a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips

(dieting) Indulgence in food and drink gives a brief period of sensory pleasure but tends to increase one's body weight in the long term.


laugh before breakfast, cry before supper

It is unwise to be complacently happy because things may get worse.


physician, heal thyself

Calque of Ancient Greek ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν (iatré, therápeuson seautón) and Latin medice, cūrā tē ipsum, from Luke 4:23.

clq

ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν

“You are really as bad as Margaret,” she declared. “There is nothing the matter with me. You talk of ‘curing’ me as though I were ill. Physician, heal thyself.”

One should attend to one's own defects before presuming to advise others about theirs.

people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones


you only go around once

you only go around once in life (alternative)
you only live once (alternative)

Young men washed in the ecstasy of macho male companionship rode a jeep through barren country and embraced at a bar piled up with beer cans. "You only go around once," the announcer said.

1979, Kate Braverman, chapter 3, in Lithium for Medea: A Novel, published 2011, →ISBN:

"Thank God I'm here. I figure you should play as long as you can because you only go around once, and I know it."

1986 May 5, Heidi Evans, “The 55-and-Over Crowd Pops Up at the Ballpark for Senior League Softball”, in Los Angeles Times, retrieved 2020-05-09:

"Two years ago when I first heard of the Ferrari Challenge I never would have thought I would be doing something like this," said Mr. McCormick, president of First Manhattan Consulting Group in Manhattan. "Then I turned 48 and said, 'You only go around once.'"

1996 October 13, James V. O'Connor, “With a Dream (and a Ferrari), An Executive Takes Up Racing”, in New York Times, retrieved 2020-05-09:

The agency boosted Schlitz's name recognition with the "Gusto" campaign. Consumers […] were even reminded that "You only go around once in life: go for all the gusto you can."

2015, John McDonough, Karen Egolf, The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising, →ISBN, page 1403:

A person has only one lifetime, and should therefore take every opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of experiences in order to maximize their achievements and satisfaction.


you only go around once in life

you only go around once
you only go around once#English

Alternative form of you only go around once.


there's one born every minute

there's a sucker born every minute#English

Synonym of there's a sucker born every minute.


opinions are like assholes

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-opinions are like assholes.wav

Shortened from "Opinions are like assholes; everybody has one"; "Opinions are like assholes; everybody has one and they usually stink"; "Opinions are like assholes: everybody's got one, and everybody thinks theirs smells nicer than everyone else's"; or some variant of the three.

“Opinions are like assholes,” Tipsy began again. “That would be correct,” Few confirmed acidly. “It's an understatement, too.” “Some people have more than one asshole?” Tipsy asked naively. “Okay. Okay.” Quentin placed both his hands ...

2010, Jim Nisbet, Windward Passage: A Novel, Abrams, →ISBN:

Opinions are like assholes and that's all I see. Ya you're so picture perfect. How's it feel to be perfect. Ya you're perfect. Picture perfect to me. What you got comes in a small pill. Pretty sure I've had my fill.

2011, Michelle Hutchinson, O for the Love of God, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 25:

Opinions are like assholes, and there are way too many assholes out there. Call me what you will, but I'll call you what you are. The best way to live is to deserve each day. A born loser isn't just someone who's been desperate for some ...

2018, Colin Honert, MindSpring, Dog Ear Publishing, →ISBN, page 391:

“The shit just got so stupid, and of course Gil kept saying the same thing he always says about this kind of thing: “'Opinions are like assholes...'” “You never know what you're gonna get?” This time they all laughed a little.

[2019, Mathew Klickstein, Selling Nostalgia: A Neurotic Novel, Permuted Press+ORM, →ISBN:

“Don't you mean, 'Opinions are like assholes'?” “No, 'shit'. They run too freely from careless openings.” “That's...not a saying.” “No?” Monty chuckled. “You sure?” He sighed. “Anyway, Hitler had opinions. That guy in Wolf Creek had ...

[2020, Jason Parent, The Apocalypse Strain, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

(Canada, US, idiomatic, usually derogatory, vulgar) Everyone has opinions, and most people's opinions are of exceedingly poor quality.


en-proverb

where you stand depends on where you sit

Attributed to US government administrator and author Rufus Miles.

One's position in an organization dictates one's stance on an issue.


you pays your nickel and you takes your choice

you pays your money and you takes your choice#English

Alternative form of you pays your money and you takes your choice.


you pays your nickel and you takes your chances

you pays your money and you takes your chances#English

Alternative form of you pays your money and you takes your chances.


if wishes were horses, beggars might ride

if wishes were horses, beggars would ride#English

Alternative form of if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.


short accounts make long friends

short reckonings make long friends#English

Alternative form of short reckonings make long friends.


it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive

The journey or process is more important or more enjoyable than the destination or end result.


a watched pot never boils over

a watched pot never boils
a watched pot never boils#English

Alternative form of a watched pot never boils.


even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while

even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while#English

Synonym of even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while.


nothing new under the sun

there is nothing new under the sun#English

Alternative form of there is nothing new under the sun.


mackerel sky and mare's-tails make tall ships carry low sails


fat is flavor

(US, cooking) Foods need to contain fat to appear flavorful to consumers.


LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over.wav

Problems and losses that do not reach the attention cause no worries and no grief.


it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it

Firefighters have to put themselves in serious danger in order to save lives. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.

(literally) The job is a particularly difficult and undesirable one.

Most days, firefighters get paid to do nothing at all. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!

(colloquial, ironic, humorous) The role or assignment is a particularly attractive or desirable one.


the best defense is a good offense

attack is the best form of defence#English

Synonym of attack is the best form of defence.


it isn't over 'til the fat lady sings

it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings#English

Alternative form of it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.


mackerel sky and mare's-tails make lofty ships carry low sails

mackerel sky and mare's-tails make tall ships carry low sails#English

Alternative form of mackerel sky and mare's-tails make tall ships carry low sails.


head

if all you've got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail#English

Alternative form of if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.


behind every great man is a great woman

behind every successful man there stands a woman#English

Synonym of behind every successful man there stands a woman (“men's success often depends on the support and work of their wives or female partners”).


not all heroes wear capes

From the tendency for superheroes to wear capes.

I don't believe that heroes are extraordinary people— I believe they are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. This is a wonderful lesson for adults and children. Not all heroes wear capes!

2004, Vickie Girard, There's No Place Like Hope, →ISBN, page 69:

Everywhere they go, every step they take and no matter who they are with, the band's fans are beside them in spirit and in their hearts, making signs up with slogans such as "You're proof that not all heroes wear capes!" and turning up at venues where the band are recording, rehearsing, or performing.

2014, One Direction Confidential, Barron's, →ISBN, page 58:

Real people are as capable of being heroic as fictional superheroes.


love conquers all

Calque of Latin Omnia vincit amor, from Eclogue X by Virgil.Wikisource ˡᵃ

I used to believe love conquers all / 'Cause that's what's seen in movies

2013, “Someone Else”, performed by Miley Cyrus:

Love is a powerful force that overcomes all obstacles.


good things come in small packages

Small gestures of help and kindness matter more than costly and exorbitant bestowals.


en-proverb

even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then

Alternative form of even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while.


even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while


an old dog for a hard road

It takes an experienced person to execute a difficult undertaking.


any hole's a goal

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-any hole's a goal.wav

See, I don't really like screwing men, although any hole's a goal and all that, but women are soft and smooth and weak and small. They're easy to grab, easy to control.

2015, J.S. Law, The Dark Beneath, →ISBN, page 19:

“Probably because you were only thinking about one thing.” She smothered her own thoughts and feelings as she took on the necessary role. “That's what men are like, right? Any hole's a goal?”

2018, Emma Newman, A Split Worlds Omnibus: Between Two Thorns, Any Other Name, and All Is Fair, page 94:

"Of course I knew that it all goes to the same place," she beamed back at him. "I can't believe how nice you are to me. I mean you're right, my throat really has been getting pretty sore lately, and any hole's a goal." She had no idea what this meant, but it sounded like the right thing to say.

2020, Vanessa Morse, “There's Something about Gabby”, in Daddies Explicit... Anthology, page 594:

Being a virgin is not cool (the cool people are not virgins). I heard at my secondary school, that kids get battered if they're a virgin. Sexual promiscuity, for the most part, elicits a positive peer response. Any hole's a goal. Britain has more sexually active under-18s than any other country in Europe. We also have the highest number of teenage mothers and the highest teenage abortion rate in Western Europe.

2021, Kerry Louise Stalker, Life, One Big Existential Crisis, page 69:

(UK, vulgar) Any receptive sex partner (or orifice) is acceptable.

em tempos de guerra qualquer buraco é trincheira

en tiempos de guerra cualquier agujero es trinchera


lucky at cards, unlucky in love

Current phrasing from 1867. Idea present from 18th century. Earlier expressions include "Well, Miss, you’ll have a sad Husband, you have such good Luck at Cards" (Swift, Polite Conversation, 1738) and "lucky in play, unlucky in love" (1846). A similar French saying "Malheureux en amour, heureux au jeu" is attested from 1850.

The old maxim, "Lucky at cards, unlucky in love," is applied to chess.

1867 March 16, “Winning and Losing”, in Illustrated Times, London, page 7:

Someone who enjoys good fortune in games will experience romantic frustration.


laugh and grow fat

A cheerful attitude leads to success in life.

laugh before breakfast, cry before supper


there's many a good tune played on an old fiddle

Just because something or someone is old does not mean that it or they are no longer useful or worthwhile.

vanhuus ei ole este

just because something or someone is old does not mean that it or they are no longer useful or worthwhile

c'est dans les vieux pots qu'on fait la meilleure soupe

there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace


the first step is always the hardest

The hardest part of a process is always the beginning; things get easier afterwards.

el primer paso es siempre el más difícil


shit rolls downhill

(colloquial, vulgar) Problems originating at the top of the chain of command or organizational hierarchy tend to become the responsibilities of those lower down.


the poor we will always have with us

These beggars on horseback — the poor we will always have with us as long as we give such alms - are forever at the elbows of the secretaries, representatives, senators. The people who pay are at work in their fields, out of sight, scattered over thousands of miles.

1894, Henry Demarest Lloyd, Wealth Against Commonwealth, page 398:

When the poor are taken by definition to be the lowest 10th or the lowest 5th, or the lowest 3rd, we will, of course, arrive at the not very startling conclusion, “the poor we will always have with us.”

1973, Neil W. Chamberlain, Contemporary Economic Issues, page 54:

“The poor we will always have with us.” / And some will come to church.

2013, Jason Byassee, Discerning the Body: Searching for Jesus in the World:


you must spoil before you spin

practice makes perfect
practice makes perfect

One cannot expect success at the first attempt; practice makes perfect.


if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas

Synonym of if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.


do what I say, not what I do

do as I say and not as I do
do as I say and not as I do#English

Alternative form of do as I say and not as I do.


too much pudding will choke a dog

too much of a good thing
too much of a good thing


you have to be good to be lucky

People who succeed do so through skill and preparation rather than mere chance.


you're only as good as your last shift

A person's perceived skill or competence is determined by their most recent success or failure.


the captain goes down with the ship

From the maritime tradition that a sea captain holds ultimate responsibility for both their ship and everyone embarked on it, and in an emergency will either save those on board or die trying.

A leader is ultimately responsible for the penalities of a catastrophe, even if they result from external causes or the misactions of others under the leader's purview.

le capitaine sombre avec son navire

a leader is ultimately responsible for the penalties of a catastrophe


when in doubt, do nowt

nowt is a dialectal form of nought, used here for the rhyme.

When faced with a difficult decision, it is better not to take unnecessary risks.


opportunity makes a thief

opportunity makes the thief
opportunity makes the thief#English

Alternative form of opportunity makes the thief.


don't get mad, get even

She said that about you behind your back? Don't get mad, get even!

To Peter's surprise, Breslin was emphatic: "Stay in the system. Don't get mad―get even!"

1972, Princeton University, “March 21, 1972”, in Princeton Alumni Weekly - Volume 72, page 9:

A saying or advice suggesting to someone that instead of getting angry at a perceived injustice, slight or other action against them, they should retaliate.


never meet your heroes

I'm a great believer in the maxim that you should never meet your heroes. I thought of these artists as rebellious, ink-spattered heroes, righting wrongs. What if they turned out to be ranting misanthropes or monosyllabic recluses?

2008 July 22, Phill Jupitus, “Blood, sweat and ink”, in Guardian, retrieved 2021-05-15:

They say you should never meet your heroes, so fans of Canadian DJ and music producer Deadmau5 might want to consider the risks before looking him up online.

2011 February 18, Michael Oliveira, “Deadmau5 mingles and murders in Minecraft”, in The Star, retrieved 2021-05-15:

[Y]ou know how they say never meet your heroes? Well, they’re wrong. Jane was everything I had hoped for and more.

2019 January 29, Ellie Kemper, “What I Learned From the Cast of ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’”, in New York Times, retrieved 2021-05-15:

It is unwise to seek personal acquaintance with people whom one has regarded with high esteem, as they often fail to fulfill one's expectations, resulting in disappointment.


one should never meet one's heroes

never meet your heroes
never meet your heroes#English

Alternative form of never meet your heroes.


you can't fix stupid

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-you can't fix stupid.wav

(slang) It is often fruitless to help people who are stupid and do stupid things.


no hymen, no diamond

Chosen for the rhyme, in reference to the diamond on a wedding ring.

(informal) A man should only marry a woman who is a virgin.


you buy cheap, you get cheap

No more of that stuff, please and thank you. American Grain, my rosy red ass. Someone should have told those babies you put the fertilizer on the hops before you grow em, not after. A headache on three lousy beers! Gosh! Well—you buy cheap, you get cheap.

Inexpensive goods and services tend to be inferior to more expensive ones.


good things come in threes

If a fortunate event has already occurred twice, a third fortunate event is likely to occur.

ei kahta ilman kolmatta

several fortunate events usually occur together


money does not smell

money has no smell (alternative)
money does not stink (alternative)

The value of money is not affected by the business it comes from, even from the most unpleasant one.


to a hammer, everything looks like a nail

The Court today mistakes what this case is about. To a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And to a Court bent on diminishing the usefulness of Rule 23, everything looks like a class action, ready to be dismantled.

2013, American Express Co. et al. v. Italian Colors Restaurant et al. (U.S. Supreme Court No. 12–133), Justice Kagan dissenting

Alternative form of if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.


tall oaks from little acorns grow

mighty oaks from little acorns grow#English

Alternative form of mighty oaks from little acorns grow.


one man's loss is another man's gain

Some people's misfortune is other people's fortune.

some people's misfortune is other people's fortune

مَصَائِبُ قَوْمٍ عِنْدَ قَوْمٍ فَوَائِدُ

le malheur des uns fait le bonheur des autres

one man's trash is another man's treasure


even a worm will turn

First attested in a 1546 collection of proverbs by John Heywood, in the form “Treade a worme on the tayle, and it must turne agayne.” Popularized by William Shakespeare in The Third Part of Henry the Sixth, see quotations.

The ſmalleſt Worme will turne, being troden on, / And Doues will pecke in ſafegard of their Brood.

c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 154, column 1:

The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on, and doves will peck in safeguard of their brood.

Even the meekest or most docile people will retaliate or seek revenge if pushed too far.


money does not stink

money does not smell
money does not smell#English


silence is consent

A lack of response to an action is a tacit approval of that action.

wie zwijgt, stemt toe

a lack of response to an action is a tacit approval of that action


health is your first wealth

Health is of utmost importance and the most valuable asset that a person can possess.


cleanliness is next to godliness

First recorded in a sermon by John Wesley in 1778.

It is important and morally sound to keep one's body and home clean; those who practice purity and wholeness are close to God.


it is easy to be wise after the event

Tuchel may wonder whether he should have kept the unbeatable Mendy on for penalties after his heroic performance but it is easy to be wise after the event and Kepa has proved his quality from penalties in the past.

2022 February 27, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

After one has seen the consequences of a decision, it is easy to tell whether or not the decision was favorable, but it is also too late, since the consequences have already occurred.


head

time spent laughing is time spent with the gods


en-proverb

the best laid plans of mice and men go oft astray

the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry#English

Alternative form of the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.


history is written by the victors

history is written by the winners (alternative)

History is often told according to the interpretation and biases of prevailing historical actors, often those who won in geopolitical disputes or otherwise became dominant forces in society.

التاريخ يكتبه المنتصرون

History is often subjectively told according to the biases of the victors

die Geschichte wird von den Siegern geschrieben

lịch sử được viết bởi những người chiến thắng

the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must


every stick has two ends

But every stick has two ends, says a Russian proverb, and if the chemical shells helped the Germans, so, by and by, when we and our Allies began to adopt them, they caused also a great deal of damage to the Germans .

1918, Basil Gourko, Memories and Impressions of War and Revolution in Russia 1914-1917, →OCLC, page 167:

Apparently forgetting the times in which we live, the U.S. defense secretary, far from advocating mutual disarmament, called on America to increase its strength so as to be able to destroy the socialist countries both singly and combined. We scarcely need point out that this bellicose call by a representative of the Pentagon is fraught with great danger and above all, to America itself. Every stick has two ends.

1964, United States Central Intelligence Agency, Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts: Issues 21–22, →OCLC, page BB10:

The saying “every stick has two ends” is apropos here. Every situation has an upside and downside, and the bigger the stick, the bigger the ends.

2005, Michael Ray, The Highest Goal: the Secret That Sustains You in Every Moment, →ISBN, page 82:


shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations

clogs to clogs in three generations#English

Synonym of clogs to clogs in three generations.


head

the cobbler always wears the worst shoes

the shoemaker always wears the worst shoes

People often fail to apply their skills to themselves.

the cobbler's children are the worst shod


it ain't over till it's over

There are more developments yet to come; one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress.

don't count your chickens before they're hatched


man shall not live by bread alone

From the King James translation of Luke 4:4 (“And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”) or Matthew 4:4 (“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”), which are paraphrases of Deuteronomy 8:3.

man does not live by bread alone (alternative)
man does not live on bread alone (alternative)
man shall not live on bread alone (alternative)
one does not live by bread alone (alternative)

Another basic religious and moral consideration is that in foreign aid we actually go beyond material realities. “Man shall not live by bread alone.”

1957 April 12, Eugene Carson Blake, The Foreign Aid Program: Hearings Before the Special Committee to Study the Foreign Aid Program. United States Senate, Eighty-Fifth Congress, First Session, page 558:

(1) Why is it in the national interest to provide Federal support for the humanities and the arts? […] The first of these three questions was answered succinctly 2,000 years ago: “Man shall not live by bread alone.”

1965 February 26, Gustave O. Arlt, National Arts and Humanities Foundations […] United States Senate, Eighty-Ninth Congress, First Session, page 326:

I am as anxious as anyone, perhaps more than many in this House, for dollars to be spent in places where they are needed, particularly in the field of old age pensions and other forms of social security. But […] man shall not live by bread alone. I suggest that the concern for preserving the various cultures of an area like Cape Breton Island is a concern that this House does well to consider.

1975 February 28, Stanley Knowles, Canada, House of Commons Debates: Official Report. First Session—Thirtieth Parliament, 24 Elizabeth II, volume 4, page 3690:

People need more than food and shelter to live a fulfilling life.

Deuteronomy 8
King James Version
Luke 4
Matthew 4:4

laysa bi-l-ḵubzi waḥdahu yaḥyā l-ʔinsānu

لَيْسَ بِٱلْخُبْزِ وَحْدَهُ يَحْيَا ٱلْإِنْسَانُ

人はパンのみにて生くる者に非ず

hito wa pan nomi ni te ikuru mono ni arazu


it takes a village to raise a child

Unknown. Possibly an adage, borrowed as a calque from a neighboring or contact language.

An entire community of people must provide for, and interact positively with, children in order for those children to grow up healthily and safely.

要養育一個小孩，需舉全村之力 /要养育一个小孩

an entire community must provide for children

需举全村之力

yào yǎngyù yīgè xiǎohái, xū jǔ quán cūn zhī lì

lapsen kasvattamiseen tarvitaan koko kylä


it takes a village

Remember it takes a village, if you feel overwhelmed ask for help, ask questions, the nurses are here to provide education, support and help you.

2014, Chris Candes, What to expect after your miracle baby has arrived:

it takes a village to raise a child#English

Ellipsis of it takes a village to raise a child.


never judge a book by its cover

you can't judge a book by its cover#English

Alternative form of you can't judge a book by its cover.


too many cooks spoil the stew

too many cooks spoil the broth
too many cooks spoil the broth#English

Alternative form of too many cooks spoil the broth.


a camel is a horse made by committee

a camel is a horse designed by a committee#English

Alternative form of a camel is a horse designed by a committee.


make lemonade

... left to its own devices, the Church made lemonade by taking out ads in the Playbill.

when life gives you lemons, make lemonade#English

Short for when life gives you lemons, make lemonade (to make the best out of a difficult situation).


loss and gain are brothers twain

An individual's wealth can easily be lost.


it ain't over until the fat lady sings

it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings#English

Alternative form of it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.


the burnt child dreads the fire

a burnt child dreads the fire
a burnt child dreads the fire#English

Alternative form of a burnt child dreads the fire.


once burned, twice cautious

once bitten, twice shy
once bitten, twice shy#English

Alternative form of once bitten, twice shy.


you don't fish off the company pier

you don't dip your pen in company ink#English

Synonym of you don't dip your pen in company ink.


en-proverb

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-you don't get your nookie where you get your cookies.wav


don't get your honey where you make your money


happy wife, happy life

There's all sorts of antiquated marriage advice out there, but it turns out that there's one relationship trope that actually holds true: "Happy wife, happy life."

2014 September 22, Rebecca Adams, “Study Finds That 'Happy Wife, Happy Life' Is Pretty Dead On”, in Huffington Post:

In a “Happy Wife Happy Life” relationship, men suffer in silence and women believe everything is okay as long as they’re getting what they want.

2018 February 10, Rick Fortier, “Exposing the Myth of ‘Happy Wife Happy Life’”, in The Good Men Project:

if you keep your wife happy, you will avoid trouble.


out of sight is out of mind

out of sight, out of mind
out of sight, out of mind#English

Alternative form of out of sight, out of mind.


LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-that which has been seen cannot be unseen.wav

what has been seen cannot be unseen#English

Alternative form of what has been seen cannot be unseen.


what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh

One's behavior or characteristics are determined by one's heredity.

lo que se aprende en la cuna, siempre dura

ang gawi sa pagkabata ay dala hanggang sa pagtanda

the apple does not fall far from the tree


better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness

better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness#English

Alternative form of better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.


a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved

shared sorrow is half sorrow (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved.wav

As a result, the optimist always has the lower hand, given that everyone around him is the opposite. You’d be considered a leper if you did not participate in the average, mediocre people’s wailing and complaining. If I’m not happy, I’ll not let you stay happy. After all, sorrow shared is sorrow halved. So let’s whine together!

2019, Leander Moss, Death at a Discount: A Funny, Magical & Inspiring Tale of the After-life, Babelcube Incorporated, page 25:

Grief can be alleviated by discussing it with someone.


looks can be deceiving

This algebra problem may look very easy at first glance, but looks can be deceiving.

A person, place, thing, or situation can be very different from how it seems or appears to be at first glance.


extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence

Outlandish and unbelievable claims must be followed by exceptional evidence to be considered acceptable in rational discourse.


ECREE

extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence#English

Initialism of extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.


when the looting starts, the shooting starts

Originally used by Walter E. Headley, the police chief of Miami, Florida, in response to an outbreak of violent crime during the 1967 Christmas holiday season. He accused "young hoodlums, from 15 to 21", of "taking advantage of the civil rights campaign" that was then sweeping the United States.

(US) Lethal force is justified against rioters and looters.


all publicity is good publicity

any press is good press
any press is good press#English


First known usage is in German in 1874, attributed to Heinrich Simon. Originally phrased as "There is no such thing as bad weather, there are only good clothes". Appears in its modern English form (with "bad clothes") by 1941.

The Danish early childhood educators say there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

2002, Julie Fisher, Starting from the Child, page 88:

Any type of weather can be endured if adequate clothing is worn.


I before E, except after C

Formed because of the rhyme between the names of the letters E and C, /iː/ and /siː/. The "rule" was invented in the 19th century.

i before e, except after c (alternative)

(orthography, mnemonic) In English words that contain the letters I and E together, the I tends to come before the E (ie), except in cases when the two are preceded by the letter C, in which case the E comes before the I (cei).


facts don't care about your feelings

Coined by Ben Shapiro, an American conservative commentator.

Facts exist as they do independently of emotional biases.


the revolution will not be televised

Originally a popular slogan among the 1960s Black Power movements in the United States, further popularized by Gil Scott-Heron's song and poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (1970).

(dated) A societal revolution will happen genuinely and in real life, and will not be caught on film.

Gil Scott-Heron
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised


poverty is a state of mind

Someone is only as poor as they perceive themselves to be.


being poor is a state of mind

poverty is a state of mind
poverty is a state of mind#English


poorness is a state of mind

(rare) Synonym of poverty is a state of mind.


silence is oppression

silence is violence
silence is violence#English

Synonym of silence is violence (“silence in certain settings can be perceived or interpreted as unfriendly or hostile.”).


I want doesn't get

Impolite demands are not conducive to getting what one wants.


everything happens for a reason

I also believe that everything happens for a reason, so as the tears and self-pity subsided, I knew that there must be another way in which my newfound knowledge and Punch's sparkling desire to perform could be utilized.

1978, Donald Myrus, Dog Catalog, page 251:

Okay, everything happens for a reason. All is for the good. Only fear G-d. All the Chassidic dictums about life were racing through my mind.

1996, Tzvi Jacobs, Truths Revealed: Modern Day Stories of Faith & Miracles, page 10:

As she put it, “I keep telling myself,'everything HAPPENS for a reason. 'So, I mean I think everything happens for a reason, and hopefully something positive will come out of it.

1998, Pamela Judith Aronson, Coming of Age in the 1990s: Women's Identities, Life Paths,, and Attitudes Towards Feminism, page 92:

Louise Wilson notes that everything happens for a reason. She believes the adversity she has faced in her life only serves to make her stronger.

2003, Tom Mould, Choctaw Prophecy: A Legacy for the Future, page 161:

Everything happens for a reason. I don't think I would be alive if I did not have that hope.

2005, Charles Edward Jones, Daniel Ledwith, Finding Freedom in Forgiveness, page 136:

At that moment this incredible feeling of peace came over me, and I was filled with a belief that everything happens for a reason. I realized that I lost my job for a reason, and I needed to trust that everything would work out.

2006, Jon Gordon, The 10-minute Energy Solution: A Proven Plan to Increase Your Energy, Reduce Your Stress, and Transform Your Life, page 193:

I also remember when you told us all that your mother would say “Everything happens for a reason” from time to time when you were a girl and that helped with the choice that was made on behalf of the firm.

2019, Jacqueline Harvey, Everything Happens for a Reason, page 412:

make the best of
make the best of#English

Used for consolation, possibly self-consolation, after someone has experienced something unfavorable or unpleasant, and hence an encouragement to make the best of the situation.


the game is not worth the candle

Calque of French le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle.

cal

The process or result is not worth the effort.

得不償失 /得不偿失

the process or result is not worth the effort


freedom is not free

freedom ain't free (alternative)
freedom isn't free (alternative)
freedom's not free (alternative)

(chiefly US politics) For freedom to exist as a legal right in a country, it has to actively be fought for and protected (e.g. by the military).


freedom ain't free

freedom is not free
freedom is not free#English

(informal) Alternative form of freedom is not free.


en-proverb

it doesn't matter what they say about you as long as they spell your name right


As the saying goes, 'every miller draws water to his own mill.'

2019, Pavel A. Strizhak, Sustainability of Fossil Fuels, page 79:

People are primarily concerned with their own interests.


the mill cannot grind with water that is past

(dated) Do not cry over spilt milk; what has already happened cannot be changed or repaired.


all roads lead to Sydney

all roads lead to Rome
all roads lead to Rome#English

(Australia) Synonym of all roads lead to Rome.


there's more than one way to cook an egg

there's more than one way to skin a cat#English

(rare) Synonym of there's more than one way to skin a cat.


there's more than one way to crack an egg


there's more than one way to peel an orange


all is fair in love and war

all's fair in love and war
all's fair in love and war#English

Alternative spelling of all's fair in love and war.


every law has a loophole

every law has its loophole
every law has its loophole#English

Alternative form of every law has its loophole.


a trouble shared is a trouble halved

Talking about one's difficulties can alleviate one's worry and stress.


'Where there's no sense there's no feeling,' they would say when they had hurt some creature by accident or through carelessness. By sense they meant wits or understanding, and these they imagined purely human attributes.

1945, Flora Thompson, Lark Rise to Candleford:

Mrs. Hooper says where there's no sense there's no feeling, but I do feel it. It hurts.

1948, Audrey Lillian Barker, Innocents: Variations on a Theme, page 96:

They say where there's no sense there's no feeling; that would make the clods and oafs round here among the most insensitive, unfeeling air and noise polluters in the western world.

2011, Phil Fletcher, Living in Fear of My Next Nadir, page 306:

A living thing of little or no intelligence does not feel pain or other negative sensations.


it's better to be judged by twelve than to be carried by six

A jury usually consists of twelve people; a coffin may be carried by six.

In a precarious situation, it is wiser to act decisively and be judged by a jury than to be killed through inaction.


an apple a day keeps the doctor at bay

an apple a day keeps the doctor away#English

Alternative form of an apple a day keeps the doctor away.


head

nothing is said that has not been said before

there is nothing new under the sun#English

Alternative form of there is nothing new under the sun.


en-proverb

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb

(simile) The weather in the Northern Hemisphere tends to be unpleasant at the start of March but pleasant at the end.


in like a lion, out like a lamb

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb#English

Synonym of March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.


what's old is new again

everything old is new again
everything old is new again#English

Alternative form of everything old is new again.


dogs have masters, cats have staff

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-dogs have masters, cats have staff.wav

The exact date of its first appearance and its author are uncertain.

dogs have masters; cats have staff (alternative)

(humorous) A dog will always aim to please and display loyalty to its owner, whereas a cat will always seek to be served and obeyed.


dogs have owners, cats have staff

There is a saying that "dogs have owners, cats have staff." This must refer to the fact that dogs are inherently eager to please.

2004, Phil Rosenberg, Don't Walk by Something Wrong! - Learning About Life, Business and Public Service from "The Hr Doctor", page 336:

Someone once said, "Dogs have owners, cats have staff." Dogs are better pets than cats because of the fact that they provide more services for their owners.

2013, Brian Backman, Persuasion Points - 82 Strategic Exercises for Writing High-Scoring Persuasive Essays, page 141:

'It's no good,' said Amana. 'They'll never understand - dogs have owners, cats have staff.

2022, Norin Shaikh, Be A Master Of Your Destiny, page 23:

dogs have masters, cats have staff#English

Synonym of dogs have masters, cats have staff.


tell its own story

No words can explain the way I'm missing you / Deny this emptiness, this hole that I'm inside / These tears, they tell their own story

tell its own tale
tell its own tale#English


your vibe attracts your tribe

It's true that your vibe attracts your tribe, and my vibe has been very, very good to me.

2017, Thom Wilder, One More Trip: Jon Wayne's Journey from Addiction to Redemption, page VI:

Remember, your vibe attracts your tribe and these days tribes gather on social media!

2021, Calista, Unicorn Rising: Live Your Truth and Unleash Your Magic, page 212:

(colloquial) People are attracted to you based on your appearance and behavior.


you smelt it, you dealt it

he who smelt it dealt it
he who smelt it dealt it#English

(colloquial) Synonym of he who smelt it dealt it.


a little learning is a dangerous thing

a little knowledge is a dangerous thing#English

Alternative form of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.


they hate us 'cause they ain't us

(US, African-American Vernacular, slang) The reason that certain people are disliked is that others are jealous of them.


it's easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission

it's better to ask forgiveness than permission#English

Alternative form of it's better to ask forgiveness than permission.


better is the enemy of good

perfect is the enemy of good
perfect is the enemy of good#English

Synonym of perfect is the enemy of good.


the perfect is the enemy of the good

Alternative form of perfect is the enemy of good.


the heart wants what the heart wants

the heart wants what it wants
the heart wants what it wants#English

Alternative form of the heart wants what it wants.


you don't get owt for nowt

you don't get something for nothing#English

Alternative form of you don't get something for nothing.


Joan's as good as my lady in the dark

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Joan's as good as my lady in the dark.wav

From or alongside the use of Joan as a sexually available member of the lower classes found in related expressions such as He is our Ladies Chaplaine, but serves Ione and Joan's as good as this French lady. Ultimately a calque of Latin and Ancient Greek expressions such as πᾶσα γυνὲ τοῦ λύχνου ἀρθέντος ἡ αὐτή ἐστι (pâsa gunè toû lúkhnou arthéntos hē autḗ esti) and sublata enim lucerna quaevis mulier cuiusvis est similis (“all women are the same when the lamp is removed”), which Plutarch considered only accurate as an excuse to escape lecherous and adulterous men but which Erasmus considered a description of how all women would indulge themselves so long as witnesses and punishment could be avoided.

‘Ioan in the darke is as good as my lady:’
Nay, perhapps better, such ladies there may bee.

1611, John Davies, "Vpon Englishe Prouerbs", Scourge of Folly, §386

Here is as good bread made as in France; and in the night Joan is as good as my lady; and unhappy is that man that is to break his fast at two of the clock in the afternoon and there’s no heart a handful bigger than another; and the stomach is filled with the coarsest victuals; and the little fowls in the air have God for their provider and cater; and four yards of coarse Cuenca cloth keep a man as warm as four of fine Lemster wool of Segovia; and when we once leave this world, and are put into the earth, the prince goes in as narrow a path as the journeyman; and the pope’s body takes up no more room than a sexton’s, though the one be higher than the other; for when we come to the pit all are even, or made so in spite of their teeth and—and good night.

1620, [Miguel de Cervantes], chapter XXXIII, in Thomas Shelton, transl., The Second Part of the History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-errant, Don Quixote of the Mancha. […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press] for Edward Blount, →OCLC:

...in the darke, all Cats are blacke, and Jone is as faire as my Lady...

Night makes no difference 'tvvixt the Prieſt and Clark; / Jone''' as my Lady is as good i'th'dark.

1648, Robert Herrick, “No Difference i’th’Dark”, in Hesperides: Or, The Works both Humane & Divine […], London: […] John Williams, and Francis Eglesfield, and are to be sold by Tho[mas] Hunt, […], →OCLC, page 329:

Sir Sim[on Addlepot]. Faith and troth I do not railly, I deal freely. / Flip [Lady Flippant]. This is the time and place for freedom, Sir. / Sir Sim. Are you handſom? / Flip. Jone'''’s as good as my Lady in the dark certainly; but men that deal freely, never ask queſtions certainly.

1671 March (first performance), [William] Wycherley, Love in a Wood, or, St James’s Park. A Comedy, […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1672, →OCLC, Act II, page 22:

...when Henslowe notes Heywood's next play he has a little more respect for him; for, although the total was again but five pounds, three pounds on February 10, 1598/9 and the rest two days later, the dramatist on both occasions is Mr. Heywood. The only surviving fragment of the piece, ‘Jonne as good as my ladey’, may be a song in Γυναικεῖον with the burden 'What care I how faire she bee...

1931, Arthur Melville Clark, Thomas Heywood, page 12:

The current proverb ‘In the dark Joan is as good as my lady’ carried no moral overtones; it merely reflected upon male anxieties that social superiority might bring some kind of special benefits in terms of the quality of sexual pleasure. A countryman, so the story went, who had given a large sum to have sex with a lady was overheard on his way home from behind a hedge moaning about his wasted money with the line that his Joan at home was as good as the lady had turned out.

1995, Anthony Fletcher, Gender, Sex, and Subordination in England 1500–1800, page 18:

A wife. But what wife and when? Pretty, yes, but godly and modest. He remembers something Taffy said once: ‘A homely Joan is as good as a lady when the lights are out.’ Aye, Taf, he thinks, but best to marry one whose face you can worship. An image of Lucy Tompkins pops unbidden into his mind.

2014, Antonia Senior, Treason’s Daughter, page 169:

all cats are grey in the dark
all cats are grey in the dark#English

(potentially vulgar and offensive, archaic) Synonym of all cats are grey in the dark: Sex is enjoyable regardless of the status, physical attractiveness, or social status of one's partner.

all cats are grey in the dark

Adagia
Anthony Munday
Erasmus
If You Know Not Me, You Know Nobody
Moralia
Plutarch
Thomas Heywood


February fill dyke, be it black or be it white

Regarding the season, there is an old proverb worthy noticing: February fill dike, be it black or be it white.

1837, William Hone, The every-day book and table-book; or, Everlasting calendar of popular amusements:

The month of February often brings rain or snow.


while the grass grows, the steed starves

From Latin dum gramen crescit, equus in moriendo quiescit (“while the grass grows, the horse lies dying”).

der

In the process of trying to achieve something, one's aspirations may be realized too late.


actions have consequences

All individual actions may result in negative repercussions.


en-proverb

as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined

From the Epistles to Several Persons (1732): "'Tis education forms the common mind, Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined."

A person's formative experiences in youth influence their character during adulthood.

少成若天性

a person's formative experiences influence their adult character

nuorena vitsa väännettävä

chiefly when talking about teaching someone good manners when they are young

czym skorupka za młodu nasiąknie, tym na starość trąci


self-praise is no recommendation

Empty boasting reflects poorly on the qualities of the braggart.


revolutions are not made with rosewater

From Nicolas Chamfort (1789):
:voulez‐vous qu'on vous fasse des révolutions à l'eau rose?
:do you want us to make you revolutions with rosewater?

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

Transformative changes require sacrifice.


kissing goes by favor

People often practice favoritism when awarding benefits to others.


good artists copy, great artists steal

It is better to selectively incorporate elements of other people's work rather than copying them wholesale.


let the cobbler stick to his last

cobbler, keep to your last
cobbler, keep to your last#English


no matter how you slice it, it's still the same old baloney

no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney#English

Alternative form of no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney.


faint heart never won fair lady

faint heart never won fair maiden (alternative)

One must take risks in order to achieve a goal; success requires enterprise.

blödes Herz buhlt keine schöne Frau

one must take risks in order to achieve a goal — see also no pain, no gain


head

don't sell the skin till you have caught the bear

don't count your chickens before they're hatched#English

Synonym of don't count your chickens before they're hatched.


words cut deep

Insults and offensive speech hurt more than physical injuries, and are not easily forgotten.


dripping water hollows a stone

The proverb is a paraphrase of a similar proverb from the biblical Book of Job (14:19), or perhaps a translation of that proverb: אֲבָנִ֤ים ׀ שָׁ֥חֲקוּ מַ֗יִם avanim, shahaqu mayim; literally: rocks - have been graded down (by) water, which has been translated: Water wears away stones, or in the King James version, (because the word mayim for water is seemingly in the plural, ending with -yim ): "The waters wear the stones".

In this case, as in all others of the kind, the report was known to all the chapter before it had been heard by the archdeacon or his wife. The dean heard it, and disregarded it; as did also the dean's wife—at first; and those who generally sided with the Grantlys in the diocesan battles pooh-poohed the tidings, saying to each other that both the archdeacon and Mrs. Grantly were very well able to take care of their own affairs. But dripping water hollows a stone; and at last it was admitted on all sides that there was ground for fear,—on all sides, except at Plumstead.

1861, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage:

Many minor influences gradually produce a significant effect.


when the cat's away the mice play

when the cat’s away the mice play (canonical)

when the cat's away the mice will play#English

Alternative form of when the cat's away the mice will play.


teamwork makes the dream work

It is easier to achieve major goals when working as a team.


no mill, no meal

(dated, rare) If one does not work, one shall not eat.


live not to eat, but eat to live

eat to live, not live to eat
eat to live, not live to eat#English

Alternative form of eat to live, not live to eat.


all good things must come to an end

all good things come to an end
all good things come to an end#English

Alternative form of all good things come to an end.


age is just a number

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-age is just a number.wav

Age is not an important attribute in a person.


you can't win them all

you can't win 'em all (alternative colloquial)

(informal) It is impossible to always succeed; failure or disappointment is inevitable from time to time.

non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco


he who said the rhyme did the crime

(colloquial) A person who uses a rhyming proverb, such as he who smelt it dealt it, in response to a flatus, is likely the one who expelled it.


small rain lays great dust

Only a small amount of something can change or alter a situation.


en-proverb

you miss 100% of the shots you don't take

True origin unknown, but was most likely popularized by Wayne Gretzky.

To make no attempt to do something guarantees failure, so you should always try.


good work ain't cheap, cheap work ain't good

buy cheap, buy twice
buy cheap, buy twice#English

if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys#English

Synonym of buy cheap, buy twice and if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys


From John 4:44; “Now Jesus Himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.”

"(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)"

2011, Biblica, Holy Bible: New International Version, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, →ISBN, Psalms 55:21:

a prophet is not without honor save in his own country#English

Synonym of a prophet is not without honor save in his own country.


a prophet is not without honor save in his own country

From the Bible, Mark 6:4: "And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples followed him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? … But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house."

A person may be believed or respected by others but not by those closest to them.

ei ole profeetta halveksittu muualla kuin kotikaupungissaan

nikt nie jest prorokiem we własnym kraju