honesty is the best policy

Attested since the early 1600s. Policy had the meaning of ‘shrewdness, cunning’ and ‘trick, stratagem’ at the time, so that the saying was originally an oxymoron in the same vein as attack is the best form of defence.

All theſe things conſidered, it hath made me to mitigate my former imagination, and to deem it not unpoſſible, that this over-politick and too wiſe Order may reach a note higher than our groſs conceits, who think honeſty the beſt policy, and truth the onely durable armor of proof; […]

a. 1605, reprinted 1673, Edwin Sandys, Europae Speculum; Or A View Or Survey of the State of Religion in the Western Parts of the World, page 112

Honesty is the best policy; but he who acts on that principle is not an honest man. He only is an honest man who does that which is right because it is right, and not from motives of policy; and then, he is rewarded by finding afterwards that the honest course he has pursued was in reality the most politic.

1842, published 1843, anonymous, “Precepts and Proverbs” in The Common School Journal, volume 5, number 24, page 383

Honesty is preferable as a course of action because it tends to work out best in the end.


in for an inch, in for a mile

Afterwards, she took him farther south. His uneasiness grew with every step. . . . "In for an inch, in for a mile," he muttered.

2005, Bill Burt, William D. Burt, The Downs, →ISBN, page 29:

I soon found the water lapping at my toes so I figured, “in for an inch, in for a mile” and continued on in after the oystercatcher.

2007 December 31, Maggie Petsch, “American oystercatcher shots are memorable”, in Daily News, Galveston, Texas, retrieved 2009-07-16:

(chiefly US) Given that one is partly involved in or committed to a project, action, position, etc., there is no reason to refrain from becoming fully involved or fully committed.


third time's a charm

third time's the charm (alternative)
three times a charm (alternative)

One is sure to succeed at a task or event on the third try.

Бог лю́бит тро́ицу (Bog ljúbit tróicu, literally “God likes Trinity”)


en-proverb

keep your friends close, and your enemies closer

One should be attentive and alert of one's surroundings if malicious people are around to prevent them from wreaking havoc in one's life.


faith will move mountains

From Matthew 17:20: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Belief in oneself (read sometimes as belief in God) can help one overcome any hurdle in life's path.


pride cometh before a fall

pride comes before a fall
pride comes before a fall#English

Alternative form of pride comes before a fall.


you can't polish a turd

(idiomatic, vulgar) Something inherently unfavourable or unpleasant cannot be improved.


a leopard cannot change its spots

King.[…]Lyons make Leopards tame. / Mo[wbray]. Yea, but not change his ſpots:

1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 24, column 2:

Can the Ethiopian change his ſkinne? or the leopard his ſpots?

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 13:23, column 1:

End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.

1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter II, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 60:

The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.

1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment:

կարմիր կովը կաշին չի փոխի

one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh

狗改不了吃屎 (gǒu gǎi bùliǎo chī shǐ, literally “a dog can't help eating shit”)

een vos verliest wel zijn haren, maar niet zijn streken

ο λύκος κι αν εγέρασε κι άσπρισε το μαλλί του, μήτε τη γνώμη άλλαξε, μήτε την κεφαλή του (o lýkos ki an egérase ki ásprise to mallí tou, míte ti gnómi állaxe, míte tin kefalí tou, literally “Even though the wolf got old and his hair became white, he changed neither his opinion nor his head”) (about old age)

הֲיַהֲפֹךְ כּוּשִׁי עוֹרוֹ וְנָמֵר חֲבַרְבֻּרֹתָיו (hayahafókh kúshi 'oró venamer ḥabarbburotav, literally “Will a Cushite change his skin and a leopard his spots?”)

三つ子の魂百まで (mitsugo no tamashii hyaku made, literally “the soul of a child of three is the same at 100”)

волкот влакно менува, нарав никогаш (volkot vlakno menuva, narav nikogaš, literally “the wolf changes his hair, but never his disposition”)

ججق بوليه دهيلڠکن, بلڠ باݢايمان دهيلڠکن؟

jejak boleh dihilangkan, belang bagaimana dihilangkan?

ikatan boleh diubah, takuk bagaimana diubah?

habis minyak sepasu, ekor anjing diurut tiada lurus

pode o etíope mudar a sua pele ou o leopardo as suas manchas?

волк ка́ждый год линя́ет, а всё сер быва́ет (volk káždyj god linjájet, a vsjo ser byvájet, literally “each year the wolf molts its fur, but it continues to be grey”)

ско́лько во́лка ни корми́, он всё в лес смо́трит (skólʹko vólka ni kormí, on vsjo v les smótrit, literally “however good you feed the wolf, it still looks onto the forest”)

горба́того моги́ла испра́вит (gorbátovo mogíla isprávit, literally “only the grave can straighten the hunchback”)

чёрного кобеля́ не отмо́ешь добела́ (čórnovo kobeljá ne otmóješʹ dobelá, literally “you can’t wash a black dog to make it white”)

зарека́лась лиса́ кур не ворова́ть (zarekálasʹ lisá kur ne vorovátʹ, literally “the fox promised not to steal chickens”)

an car a bha san t-seana mhaide 's duilich a thoirt às

ang kabayo ay bigyan man ng asukal at tinapay, sapilitang aayawan, humahanap din ng kumpay

אַ חזיר בלײַבט אַ חזיר (a khazer blaybt a khazer, literally “a pig remains a pig”)

the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature

you can take the person out of the place, but you can't take the place out of the person


head

the whistle doesn't pull the train (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-it's not the whistle that pulls the train.wav

“In the words of the nursery rhyme,” says Mr. Green, “‘it isn't the whistle that pulls the train.’”

1956 July 1, James Reston, “Washington: It's Not the Whistle that Pulls the Train”, in New York Times, page E8:

Until then, remember, don't brag, it's not the whistle that pulls the train.

1962, American Flint, volume 62, American Flint Glass Workers' Union, page 17:

The shiny aluminum body of the 1928 Peerless race car with its rumble seat and purchase price of 50 dollars must have put Kenwood in a boastful mood because Grandma Proper immediately stated, “Kenwood you must remember that it is not the whistle that pulls the train.”

2005, Eve-Lyn Woodard, Resounding Echoes, →ISBN, page 113:

Boasting and loud talk should not be mistaken for the work that produces real achievements; bravado is no proof of action.


it ain't the whistle that pulls the train

it's not the whistle that pulls the train#English

Alternative form of it's not the whistle that pulls the train.


it is not the whistle that pulls the train


it isn't the whistle that pulls the train


it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God

From the Gospel of Matthew, verse 19:24. Some assert that "camel" is a misinterpretation of a word meaning "rope" and others assert that the "Needle's Eye" was a gate in the walls of Jerusalem, but the evidence for each of these theories is contested, and the literal interpretation remains the most common.

(Christianity, biblical) It is unlikely that the wealthy will go to heaven.

ʔinna murūra jamal min ṯaqb ʔibratin ʔaysaru min ʔan yadḵula ḡaniyyun ʔilā malakūti llāhi

إِنَّ مُرُورَ جَمَل مِنْ ثَقْب إِبْرَةٍ أَيْسَرُ مِنْ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ غَنِيٌّ إِلَى مَلَكُوتِ اللهِ

det er lettere for en kamel at komme igennem et nåleøje end for en rig at komme ind i Guds rige

eher geht ein Kamel durch ein Nadelöhr, als dass ein Reicher in das Reich Gottes gelangt

det er lettere for en kamel å gå gjennom et nåløye enn for en rik man å komme inn i Guds rike

łatwiej jest wielbłądowi przejść przez ucho igielne, niż bogatemu wejść do królestwa niebieskiego

é mais fácil passar um camelo pelo fundo de uma agulha do que entrar um rico no reino de Deus

léxče verbljúdu projtí skvozʹ igólʹnoje uškó, čem bogačú vojtí v cárstvije nebésnoje

ле́гче верблю́ду пройти́ сквозь иго́льное ушко́, чем богачу́ войти́ в ца́рствие небе́сное

es más fácil que un camello pase por el ojo de una aguja, que un rico entre en el reino de Dios


en-proverb

success has many fathers, failure is an orphan

Popularized by John F. Kennedy in the context of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961).

Success has a thousand fathers, failure is an orphan. Never mind.

2025 June 14, Nigel Andrews, “They don't come any bigger”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 13:

Many people will seek credit for success, but few will accept responsibility for failure.

many will seek credit for success, few for failure

onnistumisella on monta isää, epäonnistuminen on orpo

vijayattinŭ pala pitākkanmāṟ, tōlvi oru anāthanuṁ

വിജയത്തിന് പല പിതാക്കന്മാർ, തോൽവി ഒരു അനാഥനും

sukces ma wielu ojców, a porażka jest sierotą

sukces ma wielu ojców, a klęska jest sierotą

succesul are mulți tați, insuccesul e orfan.


a broken clock is right twice a day

a stopped clock is right twice a day#English

Alternative form of a stopped clock is right twice a day.


tomorrow is another day

/təˈmɒɹoʊ ɪz əˈnʌðə(ɹ)deɪ/

/təˈmɑɹoʊ ɪz əˈnʌðɚ deɪ/

Phil. Yonder comes my Mother, Coridon,
whether shall I flie?
Cor. Under yonder Beech my lovely one,
while she passeth by.
Say to her thy true-Love was not heere,
remember, remember,
to morrow is another day:

1600, author unknown, "Phillidaes Love-call to her Coridon, and his replying" (song), in England's Helicon, printed at London by I.R. for John Flasket

"Well, well, my dear lass, to-night we cannot work, but we may sleep. . . . Keep a still heart tonight, and tomorrow is another day."

1896, Amelia E. Barr, chapter 8, in A Knight of the Nets:

"Tomorrow, I'll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day."

1936 June 30, Margaret Mitchell, chapter 63, in Gone with the Wind, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, 1944, →OCLC:

"Half of me is depressed—the idea didn't work out—and half is hopeful. Tomorrow is another day and maybe something will work then."

2005 June 19, Fran Schumer, “JERSEY: In Princeton, Taking On Harvard's Fuss About Women”, in New York Times, retrieved 2009-08-18:

Tomorrow will bring new opportunities and a fresh start for one's endeavors.

и утре е ден

a phrase indicating that tomorrow will bring new opportunities

明日は明日の風が吹く

あした-は-あした-の-かぜ-が-ふく


heaven helps those who help themselves

Phrase originates from Aesop, an Ancient Greek author. It was first translated into Latin, then into French by Pierre Millot in 1646. The phrase originates as the opening sentence of Samuel Smiles' book Self-Help from 1859. It is a variation of the pre-existing maxim God helps them that help themselves which also appeared in Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack which was published in the first half of the 18th century.

God helps those who help themselves (alternative)
heaven helps those that help themselves (alternative)

A maxim encouraging people to attempt to solve their own problems.

اسعى يا عبدي وأنا أسعى معاك

a maxim encouraging people to attempt to solve their own problems

Jumala auttaa niitä, jotka auttavat itseään

天は自ら助くる者を助く

てんはみずからたすくるものをたすく

하늘은 스스로 돕는 자를 돕는다

haneur-eun seuseuro domneun ja-reul domneunda

la caridad bien entendida empieza por uno mismo


every day is a school day

you learn something new every day#English

Synonym of you learn something new every day.


many a mickle makes a muckle

People are often ruined before they are aware of the danger, by buying everything they think they want, without adverting to a Scotch adage—than which nothing in nature is more true—"that many mickles make a muckle."

1793 April 21, George Washington, Worthington Chauncey Ford, compiler and editor, “Letters to Anthony Whiting, 1793”, in The Writings of George Washington, volumes XII (1790–1794), New York, N.Y., London: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, the Knickerbocker Press, published 1891, →OCLC, page 382:

take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves

(chiefly Northern England, Scotland) A lot of small amounts, put together, become a large amount.

聚沙成塔 (jùshāchéngtǎ, literally “gathering sand grains completes a tower”)

les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières

塵も積もれば山となる

ちりもつもればやまとなる

sehari selembar benang, lama-lama menjadi kain

ziarnko do ziarnka, a zbierze się miarka

копе́йка рубль бережёт (kopéjka rublʹ berežót, literally “a kopeyka saves a ruble”)

zrno na zrno pogača kamen na kamen palača

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step


where there is a will

Scheduling is the killer of Simulators. But where there's a will … you know the rest. Kill the Scheduling Monster before it kills you.

[2007, Christopher J. Gallagher, S. Barry Issenberg, “Attendance and Scheduling Issues”, in Simulation in Anesthesia, Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier, →ISBN, page 64:

where there is a will there is a way#English

Ellipsis of where there is a will there is a way.


where there is a will there is a way

where there is a will (alternative)
where there is a will, there is a way (alternative)
where there's a will there's a way (alternative)

/ʍɛə ˌðɛəɹ ɪz ə ˈwɪl ðɛəɹ ɪz ə ˈweɪ/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-where there is a will there is a way.wav

/ʍɛɚ ˌðɛɚ ɪz ə ˈwɪl ðɛɚ ɪz ə ˈweɪ/

[I]f he leaves the School poſſeſs'd of a ſluggiſh indolent Diſpoſition, and of Learning rather forc'd upon him than choſen, it is probable he will forget what he brought thence; but if he be active, emulous and aſpiring, he will certainly find Time for Reading and Thinking; for tho' it be a homely, it is a true Saying, that where there is a Will, there is a Way.

1724, Pharmacopolæ Justificati: Or, Apothecaries Vindicated from the Imputation of Ignorance. Wherein is Shown, that an Academical Education is No Way Necessary to Qualify a Man for the Practice of Physick, London: Printed for J. Roberts, […], →OCLC, page 6:

[H]ow far the particular practices in regard to Works of Industry may be usefully adopted, it is difficult to determine; but "where there is a will, there is a way:" local habits and circumstances must be the guides.

1796, Baron von Voght [i.e., Caspar Voght], “Account of the Management of the Poor in Hamburgh, between the Years 1788 and 1794. In a Letter to Some Friends of the Poor in Great Britain. […]”, in The Pamphleteer: Respectfully Dedicated to both Houses of Parliament, volume XI, number XXII, London: Printed by A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […]; sold by Rest Fenner, […]; Lloyd; Black, Kingsbury, and Co., […], published 1818, page 444:

Unmindful of her former poverty, she was perpetually teasing Riboulard to take a lodging in Rue St. Honoré, and to allow her to dress in a style more suitable to her station. [...] It is an old saying, that where there is a will, there is always a way. At the end of a few months, Rosalia began to trick out her person, without the corporal's knowledge; [...]

[1810, Pigault-Lebrun [pseudonym; Charles-Antoine-Guillaume Pigault de l’Espinoy], “My Grandfather Riboulard, and My Grandmother Rosalia, are Really Married”, in My Uncle Thomas. A Romance. In Two Volumes. From the French, volume I, New York, N.Y.: Printed [by Isaac Riley] for John Brannan, →OCLC, page 16:

The powerful and the fortunate are very fond of the maxim, "where there's a will there's a way;" and they rarely use it without expressing in very clear terms a cold, insolent, and uncharitable judgment upon exertions they are themselves not called upon to make, while they modestly declare that such exertions, if by them made, would be triumphant. They say, in sort, to the weak and unprosperous—You might succeed if you would, for effort is success, and we should find a certain and easy conquest where you have met but baffled hopes and continual defeat!

1840 November, [Samuel] Laman Blanchard, “A Quarrel with Some Old Acquaintances”, in Theodore Hook, editor, The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist, volume LX, 3rd part, number CCXXXIX, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, section 10 (Where There’s a Will There’s a Way), page 408:

Where there is a will there is a way; but where there is no will there is no way, and that is the case with my honorable friend opposite.

1882 August 24, John McKenzie, “Land Boards Bill”, in New Zealand. Parliamentary Debates. First Session of the Eighth Parliament. […] (House of Representatives), volume XLIII, Wellington: G. Didsbury, government printer, →OCLC, page 550, column 2:

Rolliver's inn, the single alehouse at this end of the long and broken village, could only boast of an off-license; [...] [T]hirsty strangers [...] wished they could have a restful seat inside. Thus the strangers. But there were also local customers who felt the same wish; and where there's a will there's a way. In a large bedroom upstairs, the window of which was thickly curtained with a great woollen shawl lately discarded by the landlady Mrs. Rolliver, were gathered on this evening nearly a dozen persons, all seeking vinous bliss; [...]

1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter IV, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume I, London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC, phase the first (The Maiden), pages 40–41:

I have learned during my long life the great lesson that where there is a will there is a way. Armed bands have failed against these people. I came here hoping to find the way because I already had the will. Perhaps I did find it when fate threw me in with you.

1912 February 9, “a New York detective” [pseudonym], “The Bradys in Death Swamp: Or, Downing a Desperate Band”, in Secret Service: Old and Young King Brady, Detectives, number 681, New York, N.Y.: Frank Tousey, →OCLC, chapter IX (The Rescue of Master Monkey), page 20, column 1:

We have a saying in English: "Where there is a will there is a way". This House has a will, though the hon. Members of Parliament who represent the entire Kenya. [...] There will be funds made available because where there is a will there is a way. Funds will be made available, and this House always makes funds available every year.

1987 October 28, James Ezekiel Mbori, “Private Members’ Motions: Additional Water Pipeline from Mzima to Mombasa”, in Republic of Kenya: The National Assembly: Official Report […] (National Assembly of Kenya), volume LXXIII, Nairobi: Printed by the government printer, →OCLC, column 628:

If someone wants or wills something strongly enough, a way can be found to make it happen.

إِنَ مَفَاتِيحُ الأُمُورٍ العَزَائِمَ

if someone wants or wills something strongly enough, a way can be found

kdo chce, hledá způsoby, kdo nechce, hledá důvody

jos tahtoa on, niin keinot kyllä löytyvät

wer will, findet Wege, wer nicht will, findet Gründe

ada padi semua kerja jadi, ada beras semua kerja deras

خواستن توانستن است (xâstan tavânestan ast, literally “wanting is being able to”)

chcącemu nic nie trudno, niechcącemu wszytko

finns det hjärterum så finns det stjärterum

ความพยายามอยู่ที่ไหน ความสำเร็จอยู่ที่นั่น


where there's a will there's a way

The account which he [James Ferguson] himself gives of these observations is exceedingly interesting, and strikingly brings out the ingenuity of his mind, and his determination to allow no difficulties of circumstances to stand in his way. [...] Thus we are reminded of the apothegm that where there's a will there's a way—an apothegm which has found illustration in every department of effort, but nowhere more frequently than in the progress of science and art.

1866, W[illiam] K[ing] Tweedie, “James Ferguson. 1710–1776.”, in Youthful Diligence, Future Greatness: A Book for the Young, London, Edinburgh, New York, N.Y.: T[homas] Nelson and Sons, […], →OCLC, pages 273–274:

Alternative form of where there is a will there is a way.


where there is a will, there is a way

There is more than enough legislation to deal with illegal traveller encampments. It is also important to remember that where there is a will, there is a way.

2014 July 31, Bianca Castro, quoting Robert Halfon, “MP criticises senior police for failing to deal with travellers”, in Harlow Star, Harlow, Essex, page 7, column 4:


all's well that ends well

Often believed to be from the title of William Shakespeare's play All's Well That Ends Well. More likely attributed to John Heywood (c. 1497 – c. 1580), who wrote plays for the royal court from the early 1530s onwards, some sixty years before Shakespeare made his way in the Elizabethan theatre. Although his book of proverbs was the first to use this phrasing, it originates even further back. In 1381, in J. R. Lumby’s Chronicon Henrici Knighton, the line ‘If the ende be wele, than is alle wele.’ seems to be a more likely origin.

A happy ending makes up for everything that has happened before.

সব ভাল তার শেষ ভাল যার

A happy ending makes up for everything that has gone before...

gach rud i gceart ach sinn a bheith slán

's fhearr deireadh math na droch thoiseach


long absent, soon forgotten

Love fades away when people are distant and do not maintain close physical contact.

o que os olhos não veem, o coração não sente

с глаз доло́й — из се́рдца вон (s glaz dolój — iz sérdca von)


might makes right

Inherited from Middle English might is right, first attested in the 14th century. The concept is expressed by various classical authors; a similar argument is notably attributed to Thrasymachus by Plato in the Republic 340a (in Paul Shorey’s translation, “the advantage of the stronger is just”).

inh+

What is right or wrong is determined by power and strength; power justifies itself.

Paul Shorey
Plato
Republic (Plato)
Thrasymachus
might makes right

la raison du plus fort est toujours la meilleure

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


feed a cold, starve a fever

An old wives' tale that dates back to 1574 from the original "Fasting is a great remedie of fever."

"Feed a cold, starve a fever." There is a deal of wisdom in the first part of this advice. A person with a catarrh should take an abundance of light nutritious food, and some light wine, but avoid spirits, and above all tobacco.

1887, J. H. Whelan, “The Treatment of Colds,”, in The Practitioner, volume 38, page 180:

I have a cold. 'Feed a cold, starve a fever.' You certainly know that.

1968, Katinka Loeser, The Archers at Home, New York: Atheneum, page 60:

They say feed a cold, starve a fever, but they don't tell you what to do when you got both, so I figured scrambled eggs, tea, and toast.

2009, Shelly Reuben, Tabula Rasa, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 60:

Expressing the common belief that eating more will cure the common cold, and eating less will cure a fever.

nourrir un rhume et affamer une fièvre

proverb expressing the belief that eating more cures a cold while eating less cures a fever

風邪には大食, 熱には絶食

kaze ni wa taishoku, netsu ni wa zesshoku


those who can't do, teach

If those who can't do, teach — then what will those who can't teach, do?

2004, Shirley M. Hord, Learning Together, Leading Together, →ISBN:

Now, there is an unkind saying in education that “those who can, 'do'; those who can't 'do', teach; those who can't teach, teach others to teach; while those who can't teach others to teach become either education administrators or researchers”.

2007, Roy Vincent, Listening to the Silences, →ISBN, page 21:

They say, “Those who can't do, teach.” Don't you believe it. Those who teach show those who can't how to.

2010, Charles J. Mertz, So,You Want To Be a Teacher, →ISBN, page 12:

(derogatory) It is easier to get a job teaching how to do something than to get a job actually doing that thing.


if it ain't broke, don't fix it

Attested since c. 1962, originally Southern United States English; popularized by T. Bert Lance in May 1977.

if it ain't broken, don't fix it (alternative)

I know it’s an ugly-looking antenna, but it gets the job done, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

It is wise to leave something alone and to avoid attempting to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient (often with an implication that is the attempted improvement is risky and might backfire).

जो चीज़ खराब नहीं है उसे ठीक ना करें

jo cīz kharāb nahī̃ hai use ṭhīk nā karẽ

角を矯めて牛を殺す

つのをためて うしをころす

не сломалось — не чини (ne slomalosʹ — ne čini)


there's no fool like an old fool

You're an old woman, Emily, and there's no fool like an old fool. The man's twenty years younger than you, and don't you fool yourself as to what he married you for. Money!

1920 October, Agatha Christie, “I Go to Styles”, in The Mysterious Affair at Styles […], New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, published March 1927, page 24:

If a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful.

a cent anys, coteta verda

if a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful

il n'y a que les imbéciles qui ne changent pas d'avis

ста́рого пса но́вым фо́кусам не нау́чишь

you can't put an old head on young shoulders


real men don't eat quiche

The idiom derives from the book on stereotypes about masculinity, Real Men Don't Eat Quiche, by Bruce Feirstein, published in 1982.

(aphorism, humorous) The stereotypical man does not do things that are considered effeminate.


don't drop the soap

From the exposure of one's buttocks when bending over in a male group shower, in reference to prison rape.

(idiomatic) Used as a mockery to someone who is about to be or should be confined in prison.


any port in a storm

/ɛni ˈpɔːt‿ɪn‿ə ˈstɔːm/

/ɛni ˈpɔɹt‿ɪn‿ə ˈstɔɹm/

Probably from the earlier figurative use of port in a (or the) storm to mean a comfort or refuge in difficult circumstances: see the 1657 quotation.

[W]hen vveaker veſſels beare ſaile only in a calme, a true veſſell of Chriſt ſhould ſaile beſt to his vviſhed port in a ſtorme.

[1657, Samuel Purchas, “[The Second Part. Being Meditations and Observations, Theologicall, and Morall, upon the Nature of Bees.] The Third Centurie.”, in A Theatre of Politicall Flying-Insects. […], London: […] M. S. for Thomas Parkhurst, […], →OCLC, section XIX, page 354:

Pooh, ſays he my dear, any port in a ſtorm.

1749, [John Cleland], “[Letter the Second]”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume II, London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC, page 133:

I'll give you the journal, my boy, […] eight A.M. Bonypart running away; nine A.M. Bonypart on board; ten A.M. Bonypart sinking; eleven A.M. Bonypart in Davy's Locker; Meridian Bonypart in the north corner of ——, where it burns and freezes at the same time: but you know any port in a storm, Bony, so there I'll leave ye.

1804 August 4, “Levity: Bob Rousem’s Epistle to Bonypart”, in Oliver Oldschool [pseudonym; John Elihu Hall], editor, The Port Folio, volume IV, number 31, Philadelphia, Pa.: […] Hugh Maxwell, […], →OCLC, page 246, column 2:

[A]s this Scotsman's howf lies right under your lee, why, take any port in a storm.

1822, [Walter Scott], chapter IV, in The Pirate. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 60:

I was equally indifferent to cost and convenience in my choice of a lodging—"any port in a storm" was the principle on which I was prepared to act; […]

1893–1897 (date written), Robert Louis Stevenson, “I Meet a Cheerful Extravagant”, in St. Ives: Being the Adventures of a French Prisoner in England, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1897, →OCLC, pages 264–265:

After finding both stairwells untenable at the roof, the Captain and the rookie take the window‐washing scaffold—any port in a storm—down the side of the building to the fire floor.

1974 January 27, Dennis Smith, “Playing with fire can mean getting burned [review of Firehouse]”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2017-09-09, page 17:

Most supporters have been surprised at how Joe [Kinnear] has steadied the ship and most people seemed to have warmed to him. He wasn’t the most popular appointment, but I think the phrase ‘any port in a storm’ came to mind when we were getting turned down by everyone.

2008 December 28, Jon Henderson, quoting Malcolm Holmes, “Kinnear: A man you can swear by”, in The Observer, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-04-08:

time is of the essence
time is of the essence

(idiomatic) One should accept any passable option when time is of the essence in an adverse situation.

飢不擇食 /饥不择食

one should accept any passable option when time is of the essence in an adverse situation

窮鳥枝を選ばず (kyūchō eda o erabazu, literally “a cornered bird doesn’t choose its branch”)

desperate times call for desperate measures


head

En-us-a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.oga

Calque from Chinese 千里之行，始於足下 (qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐyú zú xià), quoted by the Chinese philosopher Laozi in the Tao Te Ching. This quote is sometimes erroneously attributed to Laozi's contemporary, Confucius, or to the Japanese.

zh-l

It has often been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We have made many steps in our journey towards the republic, and perhaps are closer to our destination than we imagine.

2020, Malcolm Turnbull, The Reluctant Republic, Hardie Grant Publishing, →ISBN:

“A thousand-mile journey begins with the first step” and can only be taken one step at a time. If you don't let a teacher know at what level you are—by asking a question, or revealing your ignorance—you will not learn or grow.

1989, Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Free Press, →ISBN:

The problems are great--but this means that the opportunities are also great. In this situation it is well to remember the ancient wise words of Lao Tzu "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."

1981, Robert Leland Youngs, Forest products research needs and prospects (thinking globally, acting locally), Forest Products Laboratory, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Even the longest and most difficult ventures have a starting point.

riḥlatu l-ʔalfi mīli tabdaʔu bi-ḵaṭwati wāḥidati

رِحْلَةُ اَلْأَلْفِ مِيلِ تَبْدَأُ بِخَطْوَةِ وَاحِدَةِ

cesta dlouhá tisíc mil začíná jedním krokem

een reis van duizend mijlen begint met een enkele stap

tuhande miiline rännak algab esimesest sammust

un voyage de mille lieues commence toujours par un premier pas

eine Reise von tausend Meilen beginnt mit dem ersten Schritt

éna taxídi chilíon milíon xekiná me éna móno víma

ένα ταξίδι χιλίων μιλίων ξεκινά με ένα μόνο βήμα

hajār kosõ kā saphar bhī ek pair uṭhāne se hī śurū hotā hai

हजार कोसों का सफर भी एक पैर उठाने से ही शुरू होता है

az ezer mérföldes utazás is egyetlen lépéssel kezdődik

un viaggio di mille miglia comincia con il primo passo

tūkstančio mylių kelionė prasideda žengus vieną žingsnį

en vandring på tusen mil starter med ett enkelt skritt

podróż tysiąca mil zaczyna się od jednego kroku

uma viagem de mil milhas começa com um único passo

o călătorie de o mie de mile începe cu un singur pas

putʹ v týsjaču vjorst načinájetsja s pérvovo šága

путь в ты́сячу вёрст начина́ется с пе́рвого ша́га

potovanje daleč se začne s prvim korakom

un viaje de mil millas comienza con un solo paso

ang mahabang paglalakbay ay nagsimula sa isang hakbang

หนทางไกลนับพันลี้เริ่มต้นจากก้าวแรก

hǒn taang glai náp pan líi rə̂əm dtôn jàak gâao rɛ̂ɛk

binlerce kilometrelik yolculuk bile tek bir adımla başlar

šljax u týsjaču mylʹ počynájetʹsja z odnohó króku

шлях у ти́сячу миль почина́ється з одного́ кро́ку

hành trình ngàn dặm bắt đầu từ một bước đi

take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves


en-proverb

/səˈfɪʃ(ə)nt ˌʌntʊ ðə ˈdeɪ ɪz ðiː ˈiːvɪl ðɛəˌɹɒv/

/səˈfɪʃənt ˌʌntə ðə ˈdeɪ ɪz ði ˈivəl ðɛˌɹʌv/

En-us-sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.oga

suf
fic
ent un
to the day is the evil there
of

From Matthew 6:34 in the King James Version of the Bible (spelling modernized): “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself: sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” The phrase is a translation of Ancient Greek ἀρκετὸν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἡ κακία αὐτῆς (arketòn têi hēmérāi hē kakía autês), and there is a parallel rabbinical expression in the Babylonian Talmud, דיה לצרה בשעתה (“the suffering of the (present) hour is enough for it”).

noncog

ἀρκετὸν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἡ κακία αὐτῆς

lang

דיה לצרה בשעתה

דיה לצרה בשעתה

For ought vve knovv every day may bring forth as much trouble as vve are able to bear; if it be otherwiſe vve muſt aſcribe it to the goodneſs of God, Matth. 6. 34. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof: and this is our condition as long as vve live, to be liable to trouble and ſorrovv all our dayes, […]

1667, O[wen] S[tockton], “Quest[ion] 3. What Shall They Render to the Lord for His Mercy, Whose Houses and Goods Were Preserved from Being Consumed by the Late Dreadful Fire?”, in Counsel to the Afflicted: Or, Instruction and Consolation for Such as Have Suffered Loss by Fire. With Advice to Such as Have Escaped that Sore Judgment. Contained in the Resolution of Three Questions, Occasioned by the Dreadful Fire in the City of London, in the Year 1666. […], London: […] E. Cotes, and are to be sold by H. Brome, […], →OCLC, section 12, pages 334–335:

O, saith one, what shall I do when poverty and prison come? O, saith another, what shall I do when the sword and the plague come? O, saith a third, what shall I do when fire and famine come? O, saith a fourth, what shall I do when the rack and the stake come? But "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." He that now leadeth will then lead, if these things come before thou goest off the stage.

1679, R[ichard] Mayhew, “Direction III”, in The Death of Death in the Death of Christ: Being a Narrative of the First Death as the Mistress of Mortals, and Empress of the Universe, […] (Ward’s Library of Standard Divinity; 1), London: Thomas Ward and Co., published [1839], →OCLC, page 37, column 1:

And the Petition for Daily Bread [in the Lord's Prayer] is by ſome thus paraphras'd, "Provide for us to morrows Bread, and give it to us to day, that we be not ſolicitous for to morrow: for ſufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

1698, Lancelot Addison, “A Farther Account of the Things to be Pray’d for”, in The Christians Daily Sacrifice, Duly Offer’d. Or A Practical Discourse Teaching the Right Performance of Prayer, London: […] Robert Clavel, […], →OCLC, page 118:

That God, vvho provided for this Day, vvill take Care for the next; ſufficient unto the Day is the Evil thereof. 'Tis enough for you to bear every Day's Trouble our Heavenly Father lays upon you, in paſſing through all the Changes and Chances of this Mortal Life; in ſtriving againſt Sin and fighting the good Fight of Faith, you'll find VVork and Trouble enough for the next Day.

1709, Augustus Hermannus Franck [i.e., August Hermann Francke], translated by [anonymous], Faith in Christ, Inconsistent with a Sollicitous Concern about the Things of This World. A Sermon Preach’d on the XV Sunday after Trinity, 1708. At Hall in Saxony. […], London: […] Joseph Downing […], →OCLC, page 15:

He admonishes all not to anticipate evil to come, but to fold their hands and close their eyes in quietude, ever mindful of the consolatory text, "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

1847 February 11, [Thomas] Corwin, Speech of Mr. Corwin, of Ohio, on the Mexican War. Delivered in the Senate of the United States, February 11, 1847, Washington, D.C.: […] John T. Towers, →OCLC, page 2:

[I]t is a remarkable fact in our history that, notwithstanding the repeated efforts of the anti-slavery party, no single act has ever passed Congress, […] And it may also be observed, judging from present indications, that no probability exists of the passage of such an act by a majority of both houses, either in the present or the next Congress. Surely, under these circumstances we ought to be restrained from present action by the precept of Him who spake as man never spoke that "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." The day of evil may never come unless we shall rashly bring it upon ourselves.

1860 December 3, James Buchanan, Message from the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress at the Commencement of the Second Session of the Thirty-sixth Congress (Senate Executive Document, 36th Congress, 2d session; no. 1, pt. 3; United States Congressional Serial Set; no. 1080), Washington, D.C.: George W. Bowman, […], →OCLC, page 5:

Is not that, then, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof? Is there anything in the present system requiring the attention of Parliament; is there anything unfair in the way we are paying for stores at the present time?

1893 June 6, T[homas] Playford [II] (chairperson), “First Progress Report of the Royal Commission on Stores: Minutes of Evidence”, in Proceedings of the Parliament of South Australia, with Copies of Documents Ordered to be Printed, volume III, Adelaide, S.A.: […] C. E. Bristow, Government Printer, […], published 1894, →OCLC, paragraph 8967, pages 104–105:

Only this life with Clifford, this endless spinning of webs of yarn, of the minutiae of consciousness, these stories Sir Malcolm said there was nothing in, and they wouldn't last. Why should there be anything in them, why should they last? Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Sufficient unto the moment is the appearance of reality.

1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter I, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC:

I suspect that many people took a sufficient-unto-the-day-is-the-evil-thereof attitude toward the book [The Hell Bomb (1951) by William L. Laurence], and toward the bomb. Time enough to worry after the scientists got a little further along.

1951 September, O. C. S., “Off-duty Reading: The March of Progress: Writing Redskins to Hellish Bombs”, in Joseph I. Greene, editor, United States Army Combat Forces Journal, volume 2, number 2, Washington, D.C.: Association of the United States Army, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 48, column 2:

The hardest problem to a person with his back against the wall is living a day at a time and knowing someone cares. Just one day at a time or as a Great Man said, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

1960 September, Hazel Scott, “The Truth about Me: Pianist-singer Makes First Comment on Controversial Marriage, Scores Show Business Evils”, in John H[arold] Johnson, editor, Ebony, volume XV, number 11, Chicago, Ill.: Johnson Publishing Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 144, column 2:

And now Drew Exford was proposing to visit her—if she could believe him. Useless to worry about how she was to greet him. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," she said aloud. "I'll think about that when he arrives."

1998, Paula Marshall, “The Deserted Bride. Chapter 1.”, in Marie-Louise Hall, Paula Marshall, The Elizabethan Collection, Richmond, Surrey: Mills & Boon, published 2003, →ISBN, page 19:

never cross a bridge before you come to it

never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you

There is no need to worry about the future; the present provides enough to worry about.

Jan Jesenius
King James Version
Martin Luther
Oxford University Press

يَكْفِي الْيَوْمَ شَرُّهُ

there is no need to worry about the future; the present provides enough to worry about

一天的難處一天當就夠了 /一天的难处一天当就够了

yī tiān de nánchu yī tiān dāng jiù gòu le

elke dag heeft genoeg aan zijn eigen kwaad

sufiĉa por la tago estas ĝia propra malbono

kullekin päivälle riittävät sen omat murheet (a translation of Matthew 6:34)

es ist genug, dass ein jeglicher Tag seine eigene Plage habe (based on Martin Luther’s translation of Matthew 6:34)

明日は明日の風が吹く

あした-は-あした-の-かぜ-が-ふく

一日の労苦は一日にて足れり。

いちにち-の-ろうく-は-いちにち-にて-たれり

dat is genog, dat jede Dag sin eegen Plag hett (Jan Jesenius’s translation of Matthew 6:34)

dovólʹno dlja káždovo dnja svojéj zabóty

дово́льно для ка́ждого дня свое́й забо́ты


en-proverb

give someone enough rope and they'll hang themself

If one gives someone else enough freedom of action, they may destroy themself by foolish actions.

nie można dawać komuś zbyt dużo swobody działania

make a fool pray to the Lord, and he'll break his forehead

zastávʹ duraká bógu molítʹsja, on i lob rasšibjót

заста́вь дурака́ бо́гу моли́ться, он и лоб расшибёт

make a fool pray to the Lord, he'll break his forehead and break other people's legs off

zastávʹ duraká bógu molítʹsja, on sebé lob rasšibjót i drugím nógi pootšibájet

заста́вь дурака́ бо́гу моли́ться, он себе́ лоб расшибёт и други́м но́ги поотшиба́ет

set a beggar on horseback and he'll ride to the Devil


to the victor go the spoils

to the victor belong the spoils (alternative)
the victor gets the spoils (alternative)

The winner of a conflict gains additional benefits, beyond the subject of the conflict.


he who smelt it dealt it

whoever smelt it dealt it (alternative)
you smelt it, you dealt it (alternative)

(colloquial, originally) A person who calls attention to or complains about a flatus is likely trying to pretend it wasn't their own.

(colloquial, by extension) A person calling attention to or complaining about a given problem may in fact be the source of the problem.

賊喊捉賊 /贼喊捉贼

a person calling attention to or complaining about a fart

wer den Furz zuerst gerochen, dem ist er aus dem Arsch gekrochen


whoever smelt it dealt it

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

Alternative form of he who smelt it dealt it.


cheaters never prosper

cheats never prosper
cheats never prosper#English


when the cat's away

An ellipsis (anapodoton) of when the cat's away, the mice will play.

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

Ellipsis of when the cat's away, the mice will play.

天高皇帝遠 /天高皇帝远

People take advantage of the absence of authority

The sky is high and the emperor far away

když je kocour pryč (elipsis of Když je kcour pryč, myši mají pré.)

cuando el gato duerme, bailan los ratones

när katten är borta, dansar råttorna på bordet


fortune favors the bold

Calque of the Latin fortis Fortūna adiuvat (“fortune helps the strong”)

uder

fortune favors the brave (alternative)
fortune favors the daring (alternative)
fortune favours the bold (alternative)
fortune favours the brave (alternative)
fortune favours the daring (alternative)

Luck is usually on the side of those who take chances and risks.

運命の女神は勇者に味方する

the goddess of fate supports those who are brave

he who doesn't risk doesn't drink champagne

kto ne riskújet, tot ne pʹjot šampánskoje

кто не риску́ет, тот не пьёт шампа́нское


fortune favors the brave

fortune favors the bold
fortune favors the bold#English

Alternative form of fortune favors the bold.


it takes one to know one

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-it takes one to know one.wav

They hired the most devious scammers they could find and paid them quite well to do some red-team work, because it takes one to know one.

pot calling the kettle black
pot calling the kettle black#English

set a thief to catch a thief
set a thief to catch a thief#English

(idiomatic) Expressing the same underlying character-judgment themes as pot calling the kettle black or set a thief to catch a thief.

pensa el lladre que tothom roba

an insult which is true about both the sender and the receiver

alles, was ich denk' und tu', trau' ich auch dem andern zu

piensa el ladrón que todos son de su condición

Bob: You're an idiot!

Tony: Takes one to know one!

There's an unkind saying that it takes one to know one, and it's almost true.

1949, Nial Kent, The Divided Path, page 358:

Anyone who appreciates Shakespeare as this author unquestionably does is another Shakespeare — it takes one to know one!

“I’ve got a bad egg,” said Bervick. “I guess this was a pre-war egg.” […]
“It takes one to know one,” said the Chief, referring back to the eggs.

Brezhnev pretended a scowl. "Kissinger is such a scoundrel," he said.
But Henry was ready for that. "It takes one to know one," he replied.

1980, Gerald Ford, “Problems Multiply”, in A Time to Heal, New York: Berkley Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 209:

(colloquial, childish) A retort to a negative accusation, implying that the accuser shares the fault.


a watched pot never boils

a watched pot never boils over (alternative)

A process appears to proceed more slowly if one waits for it rather than engaging in other activities.

心急吃不了熱豆腐 /心急吃不了热豆腐

a process appears to go more slowly if one waits for it

s'inquiéter ne fait pas avancer les choses


does Macy's tell Gimbel's

Macy's and Gimbels (without the apostrophe) were popular department stores located within two blocks of one another in Midtown Manhattan in New York City; the latter store is now defunct.

The "Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?" gag has been a standard one in New York for many years. It was somewhat shattered last night at the Copacabana, when two young couples were seated at a ringside table and conversed at great length...."Well, Macy's may not tell Gimbel's," said one of the young men, "But Bloomingdale's does."

1941 January 21, The Washington Post, page 22:

In other words the older circuit will give the Johnny-come-lately as little help and comfort as it can. After all, does Macy's tell Gimbel's?

1946 January 11, The New York Times, page 24:

...As a lesson in merchandising, not only store products, but good-will, this "Miracle on 34th Street" is a dandy. Does Macy's tell Gimbel's? It should!

1947 June 5, The New York Times, page 32:

Col. Hogan (to Col. Klink) Does Macy tell Gimbel?

(US, dated, colloquial, rhetorical question) A rhetorical question with the implied answer being that competitors do not share business secrets with one another.


no man is an island

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. […] any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, […]

1623, John Donne, “Meditation XVII”, in Devotions upon Emergent Occasions:

The few friends and relatives I once had seem to have forgotten me and I have found out the hard way that no man is an island.

1981 April 4, Rick Cornely, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, page 15:

Just as no man is an island, no nation lives in isolation. When freedom is denied in one country, it is diminished in all.

1992, Richard Nixon, “The Renewal of America”, in Seize the Moment, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 301:

And yet, no man is an island, and Sokurov's desire to promote himself as an insular, unique figure, both in his thinking and in his work, is contradicted by the many arrangements and obligatory associations that cinematic production entails.

2014, Jeremi Szaniawski, The Cinema of Alexander Sokurov, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 231:

All people are connected to and dependent on other people.

沒有人是一座孤島 /没有人是一座孤岛

all people are dependent on other people

alle mennesker er forbundne og afhængige af andre mennesker

is ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine


it's a long road that has no turning

It is a long road that has no turning ; and the road the Labour Government is travelling will have a turning, too. Like every new Government, it is making changes; but the present Administration is making a welter of it.

1936, New Zealand Parliament, Parliamentary Debates. House of Representatives:

The next two decades were a political education for Taft as he moved from civil governor of the Philippine Islands to Secretary of War, President of the United States, Kent Professor at Yale and co-chairman of the National War Labor Board. It is a long road that has no turning though.

1998, David Henry Burton, Taft, Holmes, and the 1920s Court: An Appraisal, →ISBN, page 67:

“It's a long road that has no turning, and so Lena and I have rounded the corner. We have a healthy baby girl.

2014, S.K. Carnes, The Way Back: A Soldier's Journey, →ISBN:

Progress through life is characterized by change.

He was of a wild and restless disposition in those days, and his acquaintances were wont to call him by the name of Jack the Rambler. But it is a long road that has no turning,—he had now been many years at sea,—was the captain of a free trader, and as remarkable for his steadiness and worldly wisdom as he had been noted for wildness in his youth.

1834, John Mackay Wilson, Wilson's Historical, traditionary, and imaginative tales of the Borders:

He never has had any rights. Whenever anyone wanted anything the stockman was using he simply took it, and the Federal Government stood behind him to back him up. But it is a long road that has no turning, and it is a long dog that has no tail. The stockman's day has arrived if he only has the gumption to see it and to take advantage of it.

1926, United States Congress Senate Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, National forests and the public domain, page 2960:

Well, it's a long road that has no turning. Something has got to drop some o' these days. Anyhow, we'll have to stick it out as best we can. It will come all right in a hundred years or so, and our present enlistments can't last forever.

2004, Frederick T. Wilson, James R. Reckner, A Sailor's Log, →ISBN:

I was rather startled at the sudden despondency of her tone. Apparently the road that Mrs. Samway trod was not strewn with roses. "Still," I said," it is a long road that has no turning." "It is," she agreed, bitterly, "but many have to travel such a road, to find the turning at last barred by the churchyard gate."

2015, R. Austin Freeman, A Silent Witness, →ISBN:

The current situation is bound to change eventually.


head

you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear

From make a silk purse of a sow's ear, with the common perception of swine as unrefined, dirty, or base creatures.

It is not possible to produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.

it is not possible to produce something refined from something which is unrefined

al dra 'n aap 'n goue ring, hy is en bly 'n lelike ding

al draagt een aap een gouden ring, het is en blijft een lelijk ding

le singe est toujours singe, fût-il vêtu de pourpre

man kann aus einem Ackergaul kein Rennpferd machen

man kann aus einem Esel kein Rennpferd machen

ton gáidaro, óso kai na ton stolíseis, álogo den gínetai

τον γάιδαρο, όσο και να τον στολίσεις, άλογο δεν γίνεται

i w Paryżu nie zrobią z owsa ryżu

even in Paris they cannot make rice from oats

małpa zawsze będzie małpą, choćby i w jedwabiu

aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda


a golden key can open any door

Sufficient money can accomplish anything.


a house is not a home

A home is not merely a building but requires inhabitants and a friendly atmosphere.

it takes a heap of living to make a house a home


a watched kettle never boils

Refers to pre-electric kettles which were boiled over a fire.

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


the shoemaker's children go barefoot

I've got a lovely wife who's a professional photographer, three lovely grown children, a lovely old dog with bad hips and a good disposition, and an old house which is always in desperate need of repairs. My wife says that’s because the shoemaker's kids always go barefoot and the carpenter’s house always has a leaky roof.

1999, Stephen King, “Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling”, in Hearts in Atlantis, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 493:

Traditionally, ‘the shoemaker's children go barefoot’; i.e., users of computational statistics ignore statistical issues—such as sensitivity analysis—of their simulation results.

2004, Yuichi Mori, Handbook of Computational Statistics: Concepts and Methods, Springer, →ISBN, page 498:

So we eventually listened to the unfinished studio CD through his daughter Eve's ghetto blaster. I made the predictable joke about the shoemaker's children who always go barefoot. It had been the same at Elton John's place, Bono revealed.

2005, Michka Assayas, “Faith Versus Luck”, in Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, New York: Riverhead books, →ISBN, page 309:

Just as the shoemaker's children go barefoot and the carpenter's children live under a leaky roof, I knew this day would come. I am a church worker whose child has stopped going to church.

2022, Valerie Schultz, A Hill of Beans: The Grace of Everyday Troubles, Liturgical Press, →ISBN, page 17:

One often neglects those closest to oneself.

errementariaren etxean, zotza burduntzi

one often neglects those closest to oneself

মক্কার লোক হজ পায় না (mokkar lōk hoj paẏ na, literally “People from Mecca don't get to perform the Hajj”)

织席的困椅 (Sio-huî--ê chia̍h khih, chit-chhio̍h--ê khùn í, literally “Potters eat out of chipped bowls; mat weavers sleep on chairs.”)

smedens hest og skomagerens kone har ofte de dårligste sko

les cordonniers sont toujours les plus mal chaussés

die Kinder des Schusters haben die schlechtesten Schuhe

הַסַנְדְּלָר הוֹלֵךְ יָחֵף (hasandlár holékh yakhéf, literally “the shoemaker walks barefoot”)

in casa del ciabattino le scarpe sono sfondate

il figlio del calzolaio va in giro con le scarpe rotte

紺屋の白袴 (こうやのしろばかま, kōya-no shirobakama, literally “a navy blue shop's white skirt”)

医者の不養生 (いしゃのふようじょう, isha-no fuyōjō, literally “the doctor's neglect of his health”)

کوزهگر از کوزه شکسته آب میخورد (kuze-gar az kuze šekaste âb mi-xorad, literally “The potter drinks water from broken pots.”)

сапо́жник хо́дит без сапо́г (sapóžnik xódit bez sapóg, literally “the shoemaker goes without boots”)

skomakarens hustru och smedens märr är alltid sämst skodda

a mojer del scorper va in giro coe scarpe rotte

c' est todi l' coibjhî k' est l' pus må tchåssî

c' est todi l' coibjhî l' pus må tchåssî

c' est todi les savtîs ki sont les pus må tchåssîs

nolu n' est pus må tchåssî ki l' feme d' on coibjhî

אַלע שוסטערס גייען באָרוועס (ale shusters geyen borves, literally “all shoemakers walk barefoot”)

the cobbler's children are the worst shod

the shoemaker's son always goes barefoot


once you go black, you never go back

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-once you go black, you never go back.wav

"You really think she likes me?" I asked.
"What do you think? You know what they say! Once you go black, you never go back!" Zac said rhythmically.

2005, M. W. Moore, For What I Hate I Do, page 61:

Thus our young man of words turns to an ugly American joke told most often by his black compatriots as he searches for the title of his study. “Once you go black, you never go back.” Is it true?

2007, Robert Reid-Pharr, Once You Go Black, page 10:

(informal) Once someone has had sexual intercourse with a black person they will not want to return to having sexual intercourse with nonblack people.


it's better to ask forgiveness than permission

It is better to act decisively and apologize for it later than to seek approval to act and risk delay, objections, etc.


the world is one's lobster

Originally a malapropism spoken by character Arthur Daley in the British TV comedy-drama Minder.

the world is one's oyster
the world is one's oyster#English

(British, humorous) Intentional misrendering of the proverb "the world is one's oyster".


the road to hell is paved with good intentions

The road to literary hell is paved with the good intentions of publishers who start out saying "I'm gonna do it right; I'm not gonna screw up like Alyson or Gay Sunshine." Several projects later, these publishers are turning down the same "good material" that Alyson and Gay Sunshine did and building up the same type list they first wanted to avoid.

1987 February 1, T. R. Witomski, “Zeitgeist or Poltergeist? Why Gay Books Are So Bad”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 28, page 8:

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Or so many politicians in Germany’s three-party ruling coalition are now discovering.

2023 September 7, Hans von der Burchard, “How heat pumps exploded Germany’s ruling coalition”, in POLITICO:

Well-intended acts can potentially lead to disasters.

well-intended acts can lead to disasters

aṭ-ṭarīq ʔilā l-jahannam mumahhad bi-n-nawāyā l-ḥasana

الطَّرِيق إلَى الْجَهَنَّم مُمَهَّد بِالنَّوَايَا الْحَسَنَة

pǎtjat kǎm ada e pokrit s dobri namerenija

пътят към ада е покрит с добри намерения

cesta do pekla je dlážděna dobrými úmysly

cesta do pekel je dlážděna dobrými úmysly

cesta do pekla je vydlážděna samými dobrými úmysly

cesta do pekla je vydlážděna dobrými úmysly

vejen til helvede er brolagt med gode hensigter

vejen til helvede er brolagt med gode intentioner

vejen til helvede er brolagt med gode forsætter

de weg naar de hel is geplaveid met goede voornemens

tie helvettiin on kivetty hyvillä aikomuksilla

der Weg zur Hölle ist mit guten Vorsätzen gepflastert

hadérekh lagehenóm r'tzufáh kavanót tovót

הַדֶּרֶךְ לַגֵּיהִנּוֹם רְצוּפָה כַּוָּנוֹת טוֹבוֹת

a pokolba vezető út jószándékkal van kikövezve

la strada per l'inferno è lastricata di buone intenzioni

di buone intenzioni è lastricata la via per l'inferno

di buone intenzioni è lastricato l'inferno

地獄への道は善意で舗装されている

jigoku e no michi wa zen'i de hosō sarete iru

지옥으로 향하는 길은 선의로 포장되어 있다

jiogeuro hyanghaneun gireun seonuiro pojangdoeeo itda

veien til helvete er brolagt med gode intensjoner

dobrymi chęciami jest piekło wybrukowane

drumul spre iad este pavat cu bune intenții

blagími namérénijami výmoščena doróga v ad

благи́ми наме́ре́ниями вы́мощена доро́га в ад

пу̑т до̏ пакла поплочан је добрим намјерама

pȗt dȍ pakla popločan je dobrim namjerama

el infierno está lleno de buenas intenciones

el camino al infierno está empedrado de buenas intenciones

el infierno está empedrado de buenas intenciones

vägen till helvetet är kantad av goda föresatser

vägen till helvetet är stensatt med goda föresatser

cehenneme giden yol iyi niyet taşlarıyla döşelidir

doroha v peklo vykladena dobrymy namiramy

дорога в пекло викладена добрими намірами

đường đến địa ngục được lát bằng thiện tâm

hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of good works


don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly

Don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly is one of my favourite proverbs directed at drivers.

2009, George Epp, What I Meant to Say was, page 120:

Mr. Kelley often shared trucker wisdom as visitors left him to drive home. His three Rules of the Road apply to life as well as to driving: Keep the greasy side down. Watch the car behind the car in front of you. Don’t drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.

2018 February 12, “Obituaries: William Don Kelley”, in The Vienna Times & Goreville Gazette:

Don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly. Whether you're traveling or in an argument, you better stop when you see red.

2021, Lora Mae Miller, Behold the King: Jesus in Every Book of the Bible:

fools rush in where angels fear to tread

The instructor's concluding trope, “Don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly,” conveyed the sentiment that agents should not let their emotions get the better of them.

2016, Heith Copes, Mark R. Pogrebin, Voices from Criminal Justice:

He gave me a facial expression of recognition, '“Don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly”,' I finished with a smile.

2017, C. J. Michaels, Ladybug, page 240:

How do we, who have been the doers, step back and learn to accept or even ask for help of these who are new to caregiving? Don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly, they say.

2022, Dianne G. Poppert, Beyond Living Life Underneath: Reflections and Considerations:

(figurative) Do not rush impulsively into things or get carried away by your emotions.


better an egg today than a hen tomorrow

Calque of Latin ad praesens ova cras pullis sunt meliora, from Gargantua and Pantagruel by Rabelais.

clq

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

It is better to have a sure thing now than a possibility of more later.

sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage


dead men tell no tales

dead men can tell no tales (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-dead men tell no tales.wav

A dead person can no longer reveal information, especially information which others wish to keep secret.

死無對證 /死无对证

a dead person can no longer reveal information

ме́ртві бджо́ли не гуду́ть (mértvi bdžóly ne hudútʹ, literally “dead bees do not buzz”)


rules are made to be broken

rules are meant to be broken (alternative)
rules are there to be broken (alternative)

pravidla jsou od toho, aby se porušovala

les règles sont faites pour être transgressées


even Jove nods

Alteration of even Homer nods, substituting Jove, a seemingly even more infallible agent.


prevention is better than cure

It is better to prevent the creation of a problem than to have to deal with it afterwards.

اَلْوِقَايَةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْعِلَاجِ

det er bedre at forebygge end at helbrede

an jo'eun ireun saenggigo nan dwi haegyeolharyeogo hagibodan aye saenggijijocha anke mangneun'ge deo natda

안 좋은 일은 생기고 난 뒤 해결하려고 하기보단 아예 생기지조차 않게 막는게 더 낫다

lúčše boléznʹ predotvratítʹ, čem potóm lečítʹ

лу́чше боле́знь предотврати́ть, чем пото́м лечи́ть

gramm profilaktiki stoit kilogramma lečenija

грамм профилактики стоит килограмма лечения

an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure


seek and ye shall find

From the King James translation of Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

Something can be found if it is looked for.


opposites attract

People who are completely different make ideal partners.


en-proverb

an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure#English

Alternative form of an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.


even Homer nods

From even + Homer + nods (“be momentarily inattentive or inaccurate”), alluding to line 359 of Horace’s Ars Poetica indignor quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus (“I become annoyed when the great Homer is being drowsy”). The English translation Homer nods has become standard following Pope (1709), but is due to Dryden (1677).

even Jove nods (alternative)
even Homer sometimes nods (alternative)
Homer nods (alternative)
Homer sometimes nods (alternative)
Jove nods (alternative)

Horace acknowledges that honeſt Homer''' nods ſometimes: He is not equally awake in every Line: […]

1677, John Dryden, “The Authors Apology for Heroique Poetry; and Poetique Licence”, in The State of Innocence, and Fall of Man: An Opera. Written in Heroique Verse, and Dedicated to Her Royal Highness, the Duchess, London: Printed by T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, at the Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange, →OCLC:

Thoſe are but Stratagems which Errors ſeem, / Nor is it Homer Nods, but We that Dream.

1709, Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, London: Printed for W. Lewis in Russell-street, Covent-Garden; and sold by W. Taylor at the Ship in Pater-Noster-Row, T. Osborn in Grays-Inn near the Walks, and J. Graves in St. James's-Street, published 1711, →OCLC, page 12:

He [de Vigneul-Marvin] knows that Homer''' nods sometimes, and that Faults are found in the beſt writers. He is an Author himself, and conſequently may commit an Over-ſight as well as Pindar, Virgil, Horace, and all the moſt celebrated Ancient and Modern Authors.

1713, [Jean] de la Bruyere, N[icholas] Rowe, “Of M. de la Bruyere’s Book, entitul’d, The Characters: Or the Manners of the Present Age”, in The Works of Monsieur De La Bruyere. In Two Volumes. Containing, I. The Moral Characters of Theophrastus. II. The Characters, or, The Manners of the Present Age. III. M. Bruyeres Speech upon His Admission into the French Academy. IV. An Account of the Life and Writings of M. Bruyere. By Monsieur Coste. … Revis’d by the Paris Edition: With an Original Chapter, Of the Manner of Living with Great Men: Written after the Method of M. Bruyere, by N. Rowe, Esq., 6th edition, volume I, London: Printed for E[dmund] Curll, at the Dial and Bible, and J. Pemberton, at the Buck and Sun; both against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet, →OCLC, page 102:

And Homer nods: The Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles played in this year's NFC championship, not NFL championship as we said in a Friday follow-up (since corrected).

2009 April 27, James Taranto, “When Pigs Flu: But … but … Mexico has Socialized Medicine!”, in The Wall Street Journal, archived from the original on 2016-03-22:

Not even the most vigilant and expert are immune to error.

на вся́кого мудреца́ дово́льно простоты́


head

En-us-as a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.oga

* 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Book of Proverbs, 26:11
*: As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.
Originally from Hebrew:
*::כְּכֶלֶב שָׁב עַל קֵאוֹ כְּסִיל שׁוֹנֶה בְאִוַּלְתּוֹ

Foolish people repeatedly do foolish things.


there's a sucker born every minute

a sucker is born every minute (alternative)

(US, slang) There will always be a great number of fools in the world who can be easily swindled.

дурако́в не се́ют, не жнут — са́ми родя́тся (durakóv ne séjut, ne žnut — sámi rodjátsja, literally “fools are not sown or reaped – they come into the world themselves”)

nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people


mighty oaks from little acorns grow

great oaks from little acorns grow (alternative)
tall oaks from little acorns grow (alternative)

Don't give up on the project - mighty oaks from little acorns grow!

Something great can come from a modest beginning.


great oaks from little acorns grow

mighty oaks from little acorns grow#English

Alternative form of mighty oaks from little acorns grow.


it pays to advertise

Good qualities do not get rewarded automatically.


don't shit where you eat

The guiding principle is Don't shit where you eat. Office romances are always destructive of morale and objectivity.

1994 April 14, Nelson Navarro, “Ever faithful, ever true”, in Manila Standard, Philippines, retrieved 2011-08-12:

Limbaugh was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the NAB convention in, of all places, Philadelphia, thus violating the cardinal law of the animal kingdom: Don't shit where you eat.

2003 October 8, Jonathan Valania, “Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Pussy”, in Philadelphia Weekly, retrieved 2011-08-12:

Mitchell refused to indulge in on-set romances with either gender. "You don't shit where you eat," he told me, plainly.

2006 September 19, Michael Musto, “NY Mirror”, in Village Voice, retrieved 2011-08-12:

(idiomatic, vulgar) One should not cause trouble in places, groups, or situations that one holds as important or necessary to one's happiness or well-being.

nekálej do vlastního hnízda

One should not cause trouble in a place, group, etc. which one frequents

en puton ne kraĉu, ĉar vi trinki bezonos

don't spit into the well, you may have to drink (from it) one day

ne pljuj v kolódec, prigodítsja vodý napítʹsja

не плюй в коло́дец, пригоди́тся воды́ напи́ться


bros before hoes

2010, The Big Bang Theory, episode “The Spaghetti Catalyst”
Sheldon: Howard made it very clear that my allegiance should be to male comrades before women who sell their bodies for money.
Leonard: Is it possible that he said Bros before hoes?
Sheldon: Yes, but I rephrased it to avoid offending the hoes.

(US, vulgar, slang) A man should prioritize his male friends over women.

不要重色輕友 /不要重色轻友

a man should prioritize his best friends over his girlfriend or wife

cf. пе́рвым де́лом, пе́рвым де́лом — самолёты, ну а де́вушки?! а де́вушки — пото́м (pérvym délom, pérvym délom — samoljóty, nu a dévuški?! a dévuški — potóm) (a popular movie song, lit. "the airplanes, the airplanes — first of all, what about the girls?! well, and the girls — later")


bros before hos

bros before hoes
bros before hoes#English

Alternative spelling of bros before hoes.


en-proverb

the apple never falls far from the tree (alternative)

En-au-the apple does not fall far from the tree.ogg

It is impossible to look at Madam Rhen, without at once making the conclusion that she is pleasantness, hospitality, and loquacity itself; nor can one look upon her daughter Renetta without thinking, "the apple does not fall far from the tree!"

1842, Frederika Bremer, chapter 10, in E. A. Freidlaender, transl., The Neighbours:

It's important that I know what diseases affect other members of your immediate family, because "the apple does not fall far from the tree."

1978 July 3, Dr. Isador Rosenfeld, “Doctor Asks Patient ‘Where The Action Is’”, in Pittsburgh Press, retrieved 2010-10-16, page C1:

(idiomatic) A child grows up to be similar to its parents, both in behavior and in physical characteristics.

die appel val nie ver van die boom af nie

кру́шата не па́да по́-дале́ч от дърво́то

子肖其父 (zǐ xiāo qí fù, literally “the son is like his father”)

la pomme ne tombe jamais loin de l'arbre

deda naxe, mama naxe, švili ise gamonaxe

დედა ნახე, მამა ნახე, შვილი ისე გამონახე

蛙の子は蛙 (かえるのこはかえる, kaeru no ko wa kaeru, literally “a frog's child is a frog”)

ke mana tumpahnya kuah kalau tidak ke nasi

bilasáana tsikʼidę́ę́ʼ naaltsʼiʼgo, doo nízaadi naaltsʼíid da

con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh

con công chẳng giống lông thì giống cánh


misery loves company

Tuvok: [It is curious] That my failure, added to your own, should improve your feelings.

1995, Chris Abbott, “State of Flux”, season 1 episode 11 of Star Trek: Voyager

Misery is easier to bear when one is not the only one miserable.

البؤس يحبّ الصُحبة

misery is easier when one is not the only one

solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris

it is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in misery

la miseria es mas fácil de conllevar cuando uno no es el único


clogs to clogs in three generations

From the common use of clogs by manual workers in north England and following the style of similar phrases which have been attested since 1700. The particular phrasing is perhaps of Lancashire origin. Compare shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.

(UK) Wealth earned in one generation seldom lasts through the third (grandchild's) generation.

富不過三代 /富不过三代

wealth earned in one generation seldom lasts

minkä yksi sukupolvi rakentaa, sen toinen kasvattaa ja kolmas hävittää

wealth does not survive three generations


garbage in, garbage out

Officials explained that the quality of the computer's work depends on the quality of the data fed into it. Neil Hoke, administrative assistant to Stewart, quoted an adage of computer men: "Garbage in, garbage out."

1963 April 1, Raymond Crowley, “Robot Tax Collector Seeks Indications of 'Fudging'”, in Times Daily, Alabama, USA, retrieved 2010-07-26:

The old caveat "GIGO"—garbage in, garbage out—is as valid in architectural design as in any other computer-aided activity.

2008, Roger K. Lewis, "'In Architectural Design, Brains and Talent Trump the Best Software," Washington Post, 19 July (retrieved 26 July 2010)

information technology
information technology

(computing, information technology, translation studies) If input data are not complete, accurate, and timely, then the resulting output is unreliable and of no useful value. If the input is junk, then the output is junk.

eiserchómena dedoména exerchómena dedoména

εισερχόμενα δεδομένα εξερχόμενα δεδομένα

му́сор на вхо́де — му́сор на вы́ходе (músor na vxóde — músor na výxode)

ask a silly question, get a silly answer


there is safety in numbers

There is a purported decrease in the likelihood of being the victim of an attack, accident, or other unfortunate event, as a result of being in a team or group.

人多安全

purported safety as a result of being in a team or group


misfortunes never come singly

misfortunes never come alone (alternative)

Bad things or situations always come in groups or streaks; they never come in a single way.


a cat can look at a king

a doctrine which James characteristically parodied as the belief that a cat cannot look at a king unless some higher entity is looking at them both.

1982, A J Ayer, “Pragmatism”, in Philosophy in the Twentieth Century, page 71:

a cat may look at a king
a cat may look at a king#English

Alternative form of a cat may look at a king.


who pays the piper calls the tune

From the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

he who pays the piper calls the tune (alternative)
whoever pays the piper calls the tune (alternative)

The person who pays for something gets to say how it should be done.

wä de Musik bestellt, dä bestemmp, wat se spillt

wiens brood men eet, diens woord men spreekt

wes Brot ich ess, des Lied ich sing

more idiomatic, but only partially equivalent

's e am fear a phàigheas am pìobaire a stiùireas am port

you pays your money and you takes your choice

you pays your money and you takes your chances


this too shall pass

Calque of Classical Persian اِین نِیز بُگْذَرَد (īn nīz bugzarad). Compare Latin sic transit gloria mundi.

calque

اِین نِیز بُگْذَرَد

Nothing, good or bad, lasts forever; all circumstances are temporary.

an rud a thig leis a' ghaoith, falbhaidh e leis an t-sruth


head

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get.wav

Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."

1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, →ISBN:

Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."

1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, →ISBN, page 93:

"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."

2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, →ISBN, page 63:

(vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.


the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you're going to get

the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get#English

Alternative form of the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get.


the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you take


the screwing you get isn't worth the screwing you get


the screwing you get isn't worth the screwing you take


the screwing you get isn't worth the screwing you're going to get


children should be seen and not heard

a child should be seen and not heard (alternative)

Until you can organize yourself and those who share your discontent, and compile and reconstruct some proposals for meeting the needs of gay youths, until you can present them in an adult (and I stress that word — ADULT) manner; lay low, my friend, for children should be seen and not heard.

1978 December 9, Donald Farwell, “Our Angry Young Man”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 20, page 4:

Children should behave well and be quiet, especially in the presence of adults.

дете́й должно́ быть ви́дно, но не слы́шно


a picture is worth a thousand words

Popularized following a 1911 speech given by Arthur Brisbane where he encouraged advertisers "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." By 1915, the phrase in its modern form is attested. A number of other phrases expressing the same idea are attested throughout the 1800s.

a picture paints a thousand words (alternative)

A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description.

Arthur Brisbane
Fred R. Shapiro
Quote Investigator
Wolfgang Mieder
a picture is worth a thousand words

صُورَة تُسَاوِي أَلْف كَلِمَة

visualisation is better than verbal description

een afbeelding zegt meer dan duizend woorden

yksi kuva kertoo enemmän kuin tuhat sanaa

百聞は一見に如かず

ひゃくぶんはいっけんにしかず

jeden obraz jest wart więcej niż tysiąc słów

o pictură spune mai mult decât o mie de vorbe

lúčše odín raz uvídetʹ, čem sto raz uslýšatʹ

лу́чше оди́н раз уви́деть, чем сто раз услы́шать

krašče odyn raz pobačyty, niž sto raziv počuty

краще один раз побачити, ніж сто разів почути


en-proverb

when the going gets tough, the tough get going

In difficult times, it is the strong-willed who take action.

in difficult times the strong-willed take action

c'est quand le jeu devient dur que les durs commencent à jouer

quando il gioco si fa duro, i duri cominciano a giocare

when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro


the apple does not fall far from the stem

the apple does not fall far from the tree#English

Alternative form of the apple does not fall far from the tree.


the apple does not fall far from the trunk


desperate times call for desperate measures

This phrase likely originates with a saying of the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, which appears in his Aphorisms: "For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable."http://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/aphorisms.1.i.html. A similar phrase occurs in Erasmus's Latin adage "Malo nodo, malus quærendus cuneus" (from his 1500 book Adagia, which was first published in English in 1545).http://books.google.com/books?id=VX_Cf4e_66IC&pg=PA73&dq=erasmus+adagia+%22malo+nodo%22&hl=en&ei=nMAFTdu5LISglAfk89CzCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=erasmus%20adagia%20%22malo%20nodo%22&f=false
Another similar Latin saying, "extremis malis extrema remedia," appears in print as early as 1596.http://books.google.com/books?id=fCVDAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA9&dq=%22extremis+malis%22&hl=en&ei=wscFTeWqB8H_lgf2xJz_CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CE0Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=%22extremis%20malis%22&f=false

desperate times require desperate measures

In adverse circumstances, actions that might have been rejected under other circumstances may become the best choice.

非常時期需要非常手段 /非常时期需要非常手段

in adverse circumstances, actions that might have been rejected may become the best choice

重症需下猛藥 /重症需下猛药

lit., "extreme diseases require extreme medicine"

desperate tider kræver desperate handlinger

außergewöhnliche Umstände erfordern außergewöhnliche Maßnahmen

masa-masa sulit melahirkan keputusan-keputusan sulit

ang taong nagigipit, sa patalim kumakapit


head

desperate times require desperate measures

desperate times call for desperate measures#English

Synonym of desperate times call for desperate measures.


no rest for the wicked

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-no rest for the wicked.wav

Book of Isaiah
Coverdale Bible
Harold Gray
Little Orphan Annie
Miles Coverdale
Nebuchadnezzar II
no rest for the wicked

From the Book of Isaiah verses 48:22 and 57:20-21, originally Hebrew. First attested in English in 1535, in Coverdale Bible of Miles Coverdale. Quoted in biblical sense for centuries, humorous secular sense popularized from 1930s, particularly due to use as title of popular Little Orphan Annie strip by Harold Gray in 1933. According to rabbinical tradition, the word “wicked” refers only to king Nebuchadnezzar II and his descendants.

(literally) Eternal torment in hell awaits sinners.

(humorous) People who are wicked must work harder than normal people.


some days you get the bear, other days the bear gets you

One cannot always overcome a powerful adversary.


it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings

First appeared in 1976 in a Dallas Morning News article dated March 10, 1976. Popularized by sports coach Dick Motta in 1978. Generally understood to be in reference to opera sopranos, who were typically heavyset.

it ain't over till the fat lady sings (alternative)
it ain't over until the fat lady sings (alternative)
it isn't over 'til the fat lady sings (alternative)
it isn't over till the fat lady sings (alternative)
it isn't over until the fat lady sings (alternative)
it's not over 'til the fat lady sings (alternative)
it's not over till the fat lady sings (alternative)
it's not over until the fat lady sings (alternative)

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

Dallas Morning News
Dick Motta
Dr Stephen Juan
The Register

man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben

뚱뚱한 여자가 노래할 때까지 끝난 게 아니다

ttungttunghan yeoja-ga noraehal ttae-kkaji kkeunnan ge anida

dopóki piłka w grze, wszystko jest możliwe

chan eil am bonnach beag bruich fhathast

don't count your chickens before they're hatched


every silver lining has a cloud

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-every silver lining has a cloud.wav

A great partnership isn't a self-maintaining entity. Perseverance and persistence make it thrive. For every silver lining has a cloud. Ignorance of this reality is not an option.

2007, Diab A. Shetayh, Actuality : The Reality Requiem:

Every good situation has the potential to turn bad.

elk voordeel heeft zijn nadeel

every good situation has the potential to turn bad


he who laughs last laughs best

he laughs best that laughs last (alternative)
he who laughs last laughs hardest (alternative)

Success is enjoyed more after having previously endured ridicule.

wie die laaste lag, lag die lekkerste

success is better after you've endured ridicule

kojto se smee posleden, se smee naj-dobre

който се смее последен, се смее най-добре

kdo se směje naposled, ten se směje nejlíp

joka viimeksi nauraa, se parhaiten nauraa

geláei kalýtera ópoios geláei teleftaíos

γελάει καλύτερα όποιος γελάει τελευταίος

最後に笑う者が最もよく笑う

さいごにわらうものがもっともよくわらう

saigo ni warau mono ga mottomo yoku warau

deen am leschte laacht, laacht am beschten

xorošo smejótsja tot, kto smejótsja poslédnim

хорошо смеётся тот, кто смеётся после́дним

kdor se zadnji smeje, se najslajše smeje

Cười người hôm trước, hôm sau người cười.


he who laughs last laughs hardest

he who laughs last laughs best
he who laughs last laughs best#English

Alternative form of he who laughs last laughs best.


don't try to teach grandma how to suck eggs

From a 1707 translation by John Stevens of comical works of Francisco de Quevedo (1580 – 1645).
"You would have me teach my Grandame to suck Eggs"

Don't presume to give advice to those who are more experienced.

Francisco de Quevedo
Teaching grandmother to suck eggs

on n'apprend pas à un vieux singe à faire la grimace

ce n’est pas à un vieux singe qu’on apprend à faire des grimaces

ne učí plávatʹ ščúku, ščúka znájet svojú naúku

не учи́ пла́вать щу́ку, щу́ка зна́ет свою́ нау́ку

na ionnsaich do sheanmhair lit' a dhèanamh


all good things come to an end

all good things must come to an end (alternative)


there is nothing new under the sun

Calque of Latin nihil sub sōle novum, itself a calque from the Hebrew אֵין כָּל חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ (en kol chadásh táchat hashámesh, “there is nothing new under the sun”) found in Ecclesiastes 1:9.

der

אֵין כָּל חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ

There is nothing truly novel in existence; every new idea has some sort of precedent or echo from the past.

日光之下並無新事 /日光之下并无新事

jat⁶ gwong¹ zi¹ haa⁶ bing⁶ mou⁴ san¹ si⁶

nothing is said that has not been said before

the more things change, the more they stay the same


head

what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

desc

French: sauce bonne pour l'oie est bonne pour le jars

Euphues and his England
John Heywood
John Lyly

1670s, figuratively using goose/gander for women and men, and literally meaning that the same sauce applies equally well to cooked goose, regardless of sex. Early forms include “as deep drinketh the goose as the gander” (1562) and similar “As well for the coowe calfe as for the bull” (1549). The expression appears in Dickens when a spy attempting to evade culpability insists, “For you cannot sarse the goose and not the gander.”

what's good for the goose is good for the gander

[…] sawce which is good for the Goose, I hope will be good for the Gander […]

[1674, Richard Head, The English Rogue, Part 3, page 4:

That that's good sauce for a goose, is good for a gander.

[1678, John Ray, Collection of English Proverbs, 2nd edition, Cambridge, page 48:

[I]t is, as I may ſo ſay, a ſavvcy Plot: and vve all knovv, moſt Reverend Fathers, that vvhat is ſavvce for a Gooſe is ſavvce for a Gander: Therefore, I ſay, as thoſe bloud-thirſty Ganders of the conſpiracy vvould have deſtroyed us Geeſe of the Senate, let us make haſte to deſtroy them, ſo I humbly move for hanging— […]

1682, Thomas Otway, Venice Preserv’d, or, A Plot Discover’d. A Tragedy. […], London: […] Jos[eph] Hindmarsh […], →OCLC, Act V, scene [ii], page 61:

What is sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose and the arguments that he produces against my suggestion apply with double force to his.

1945, Herbert Walter Fairman, “An Introduction to the Study of Ptolemaic Signs and Their Values”, in Le Bulletin de l’Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale, volume 43, page 80:

If something is acceptable for one person, it is acceptable for another (often of the opposite gender).

gelijke monniken, gelijke kappen

if something is acceptable for one person, it is acceptable for another

saŭco por la anserino ankaŭ estas saŭco por la viransero

was dem einen recht ist, ist dem anderen billig

quel che vale per l’uno vale anche per l’altro

lo que es bueno para el pavo, es bueno para la pava

One who treats others in a certain way should not complain about receiving the same treatment.

one who treats others in a certain way should not complain about receiving the same treatment

ami az egyiknek szabad, szabad a másiknak is (legyen)


sauce for the goose

what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander#English

Synonym of what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.


laughter is the best medicine

Laughing will improve one's mood or temperament.

time spent laughing is time spent with the gods


if you lie with dogs you will get fleas

if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas#English

Alternative form of if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.


wrap it before you tap it

(slang) It is wise to wear a condom before sexual intercourse.


en-proverb

you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

From a line in a Bob Dylan song, Subterranean Homesick Blues.

One does not require an expert to tell one what one already knows.


where there's muck there's brass

(UK, Ireland) There is money to be made even in unpleasant, dirty jobs.


grasp all, lose all

One who wants everything may lose it all.

qui molt abraça, poc estreny

one who wants everything, may lose it all

qui molt abraça i poc estreny pateix de poc seny

joka kuuseen kurkottaa, se katajaan kapsahtaa

parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla

za dvumjá zájcami pogónišʹsja, ni odnovó ne pojmáješʹ

за двумя́ за́йцами пого́нишься, ни одного́ не пойма́ешь

den som gapar efter mycket mister ofta hela stycket


long ways, long lies

/ˈlɒŋ ˌweɪz ˈlɒŋ ˌlaɪz/

Someone who returns from a far-off region can tell lies without fear of being contradicted.

de llunyes terres, moltes mentides

someone who comes back from a far-off region can tell lies without fear of being contradicted

wie verre reizen doet, kan veel verhalen

syrjäisistä paikoista on helppo valehdella

wenn einer eine Reise tut, dann kann er was erzählen

messziről jött ember azt mond, amit akar

osoba z dalekiego miejsca może kłamać bezpiecznie

до́бро тому́ врать, кто за мо́рем быва́л


head

a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse

a nod is as good as a wink
a nod is as good as a wink#English


en-proverb

that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger#English

Alternative form of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.


what doesn't kill you makes you stronger

From German Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker, which has been variously translated, from Friedrich Nietzsche's Twilight of the Idols.

der

Friedrich Nietzsche
Twilight of the Idols

was dich nicht umbringt, macht dich stärker


treat them mean, keep them keen

treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen (alternative)
treat 'em mean to keep 'em keen (alternative)

(informal) A woman will be more interested in a man if he is not kind to her.


no good deed goes unpunished

According to the website Grammarist, there is no one origin for the phrase "let no good deed go unpunished." However, it also lists several written examples from the 20th century, starting with a 1942 phrase attributed to Walter Winchell, in which he wrote (in a column) "[It] reminds me of the line diplomats use: ‘No good deed goes unpunished in Washington.” On top of that, it lists one from Dante's "The Divine Comedy" ("love is the seed in you of every virtue/and of all acts deserving punishment."). This can be found at the website https://grammarist.com/proverb/no-good-deed-goes-unpunished/.
Meanwhile, the website Quote Investigator gives several older examples of these phrases, including one from a 12th-century text that was translated into English in 1923, and which discussed a malevolent, though the website indicated that it wasn't written like it was a proverb. As well, two came from 1927 (one of which used the word "kindness" in place of "good deed") and another from 1938 ("Every good deed brings its own punishment"), which was the earliest match that website found which it considered to be strong. This can be found at the website https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/04/30/good-deed/.

no good deed ever goes unpunished (alternative)

Beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility or demands for further work.

好心沒好報 /好心没好报

beneficial actions often go unappreciated etc.

každý dobrý skutek je po zásluze potrestán

idővel minden jótett elnyeri méltó büntetését

ni odnó dóbroje délo ne ostajótsja beznakázannym

ни одно́ до́брое де́ло не остаётся безнака́занным


no good deed ever goes unpunished

no good deed goes unpunished
no good deed goes unpunished#English

Alternative form of no good deed goes unpunished.


life is like a box of chocolates

En-au-life is like a box of chocolates.ogg

Appeared in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, when the lead character Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) says “My mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.”

(simile) Life is full of surprises; you never know what will happen next.


en-proverb

those who will not when they may, when they will they shall have nay

(archaic) One should take immediate advantage of an opportunity that may not be available later.


a good deed is its own reward

One should not expect a reward for good deeds, but should perform them merely for the satisfaction of doing so.

贈人玫瑰，手有餘香 /赠人玫瑰

one should not expect a reward for good deeds


location, location, location

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-location, location, location.wav

The most important consideration in buying real estate is its location.

位置第一

One could argue that sports are no different from fast foods—it's all location, location, location. Because the core sport product is a game form, simultaneously produced and consumed, it makes sense that the venue of that game form should maximize exposure.

2007, Bernard James Mullin, Stephen Hardy, William Anthony Sutton, Sport marketing, Human Kinetics, →ISBN, page 345:

Theatre is all about location, location, location. More than most art forms, it is rooted in a specific time and place.

2011, Aleks Sierz, Rewriting the Nation: British Theatre Today, A&C Black, →ISBN, page 10:

Location, location, location. The iPhone makes good use of knowing where you are in the Maps app and several other apps and by geotagging photos taken with its camera.

2011, Bob LeVitus, iPhone 4S For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 255:

It's all about location, location, location, and Google's goggles will have a direct bead on you 24 hours a day.

2013, Wheeler Winston Dixon, Streaming: Movies, Media, and Instant Access, University Press of Kentucky, →ISBN, page 131:


you win some, you lose some

Everybody experiences some successes and some failures.

sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you


make it do or do without

If you don't have a lot of money, extend the life of what you have.


you can't take it with you

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-you can't take it with you.wav

"The clause which—at my death—makes you sole owner of the whole concession. You see—the odds were scarcely even, were they? It wasn't likely anything would happen to you!" . . .
"What's it matter to you now?" Trent said, with unintentional brutality. "You can't take it with you."

1900, E. Phillips Oppenheim, chapter 6, in A Millionaire of Yesterday:

Dealers also quietly bought gold fillings from morticians, proving that you can't take it with you.

1980 January 14, “Business: The Great Sell-Off”, in Time:

You can't take it with you, of course, but your intended heirs may not be able to take it with them, either, if you do not explicitly state through a will who is supposed to get what.

2007 August 3, Conrad de Aenlle, “All the right (and wrong) moves”, in New York Times, retrieved 2011-07-11:

It is not possible to take one's material wealth or possessions to whatever world may await one after death.


every Jack has his Jill

Everybody will eventually find a romantic partner.

طنجرة ولقت غطاها

everybody will eventually find a romantic partner

non c'è la pentola così brutta che non si trova il suo coperchio

há um chinelo velho para todo pé cansado


man is a wolf to man

Humans are often cruel, predatory, and inhumane towards each other.


forewarned, forearmed

forewarned is forearmed
forewarned is forearmed#English

Alternative form of forewarned is forearmed.


don't dip your pen in company ink

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

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


empty vessels make the most noise

empty vessels make the most sound#English

Alternative form of empty vessels make the most sound.


head

you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar

It is easier to persuade others with polite requests and a positive attitude rather than with rude demands and negativity.

vliegen vang je met stroop en niet met azijn

kärpäsiä saa enemmän siirapilla kuin tervalla

on n'attrape pas des mouches avec du vinaigre

mit einem Tropfen Honig fängt man mehr Fliegen als mit einem Fass Essig

kedvességgel / szép szóval többre mész, mint keménykedéssel

si pigliano più mosche in una gocciola di miele che in un barile d'acete

más moscas se cogen con miel que con hiel


there's no point crying over spilt milk

it's no use crying over spilt milk (alternative)
it's no good crying over spilt milk (alternative)
no use crying over spilt milk (alternative)
there's no use crying over spilt milk (alternative)

You should not be upset over something that cannot be undone.

you should not be upset over something that cannot be undone

ei kannata itkeä maahan kaatunutta maitoa

turha se on itkeä, kun paskat on jo housussa

le deuil de l'eau renversée ne vaut rien

روغن ریخته جمع نمیشود (rowġan-e rixte jam' namišavad, literally “spilled oil can't be collected”)


you only get what you give

There is a positive correlation between the effort one puts in and the benefits one receives.


good wine needs no bush

First recorded in the epilogue to As You Like It by William Shakespeare: "If it be true, that good wine needs no bush, ’tis true, that a good play needes no Epilogue." Here, the term bush denotes a branch or bunch of ivy formerly hung as a vintner’s sign in front of a tavern.

There is no need to boast or advertise about something of good quality.

something good does not need to be advertised

有麝自然香 (yǒu shè zìrán xiāng, literally “if you have musk, you will naturally smell good”)


en-proverb

En-us-it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.oga


takes one to know one

it takes one to know one
it takes one to know one#English

Alternative form of it takes one to know one.


idle hands are the devil's workshop

This proverb is thought by some to originate from the Bible, the book of Proverbs chapter 16 verse 27 (Proverbs 16:27). Yet this is probably a misreading driven by an application of Protestant theological assumptions. The King James version of the verse refers only to ungodliness: An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
Only The Living Bible of 1971 injects the idea of idleness into its translation: Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece. (TLB also adds the literal translation: A worthless man devises mischief; and in his lips there is a scorching fire.)
Proverbs 16:27 may have inspired St. Jerome to write in the late 4th century: fac et aliquid operis, ut semper te diabolus inveniat occupatum, or “engage in some occupation, so that the devil may always find you busy.” This was later repeated by Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales, which was probably the source of its popularity.

idle hands are the Devil's workshop (alternative)

One who is idle will likely come to do evil.

lediggang er roden til alt ondt

l'oisiveté est la mère de tous les vices

douleiá den eíche o diávolos, gamoúse ta paidiá tou

δουλειά δεν είχε ο διάβολος, γαμούσε τα παιδιά του

douleiá den eíche o diávolos kai épnige ta paidiá tou

δουλειά δεν είχε ο διάβολος και έπνιγε τα παιδιά του

cuireann an fear díomhaoin cathú ar an diabhal

cuando el diablo no tiene qué hacer, mata moscas con el rabo


idle hands are the devil's playthings

idle hands are the devil's workshop#English

Synonym of idle hands are the devil's workshop.


idle hands are the Devil's workshop

Alternative letter-case form of idle hands are the devil's workshop.


* From act 2, scene 2 of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.
* From The Odyssey, translated by Samuel Butler.

"My mother," answered Telemachus, "tells me I am son to Ulysses, but it is a wise child that knows his own father."

One can never be sure of one's paternity.


doctors make the worst patients

en-au-doctors make the worst patients.ogg

(idiomatic) It is difficult to advise people on subjects that they are experts on.


one swallow does not make a spring

one swallow does not a summer make#English

Alternative form of one swallow does not a summer make.