As They Say In Zanzibar

As They Say In Zanzibar David Crystal David Crystal, one of the world’s leading commentators on language, tackles the proverbs of the world. In this anthology of global proverbs Crystal brings his customary keen eye and linguistic expertise to this wonderfully rich topic.Proverbs are fascinating in what they tell us about a culture's view of everyday life: whether it be the importance of animals or the significance of the weather, proverbial wisdom is a key factor in understanding different peoples and cultures. Here David Crystal, the world's leading commentator on language, takes us on a global tour of the world's proverbs. Whether you are in Andorra, China or Tierra del Fuego, there is a nugget of local wisdom to inform and entertain.Some proverbs to entertain:• When two elephants struggle, it is the grass which suffers. (Zanzibar)• One must chew according to one's teeth (Norway)• Admiration is the daughter of ignorance (Spain)• A blind man needs no looking glass (Scotland)• Never bolt your door with a boiled carrot (Ireland)• Don't call the alligator a big-mouth till you have crossed the river (Belize)• An untouched drum does not speak. (Liberia)• Do not try to borrow combs from shaven monks. (China) When two elephants tussle, it’s the grass that suffers ZANZIBAR CONTENTS COVER (#u00025a45-d064-5eb0-906f-23f939d6291f) TITLE PAGE (#u9a51c8fc-c79e-5405-a4bc-00f668d672a0) INTRODUCTION (#ulink_9e0f8f84-0bce-5109-95f7-a38e6c36b3f7) THEMATIC CLASSIFICATION (#ulink_3875c0bf-2414-5715-8607-d8ff2f157b63) LIST OF PANELS (#ulink_65e6d8e5-ecbc-54e4-a487-ecb0eaa3c64c) AS THEY SAY IN ZANZIBAR (#u74874b0a-cd5a-58e0-8196-4d7b7e25f494) KEEP READING (#litres_trial_promo) FURTHER READING (#litres_trial_promo) INDEXES: (#litres_trial_promo) 1 THEMES (#litres_trial_promo) 2 BOOK TO ROGET (#litres_trial_promo) 3 ROGET TO BOOK (#litres_trial_promo) 4 LEXEMES (#litres_trial_promo) 5 COUNTRIES (#litres_trial_promo) COPYRIGHT (#litres_trial_promo) ABOUT THE PUBLISHER (#litres_trial_promo) INTRODUCTION (#ulink_320a0bf3-1c58-522d-8d40-697279a7877c) When the occasion comes, the proverb comes GHANA If there is falsity in a proverb, then milk can be sour INDIA IS THERE still a place for proverbs in the language of the twenty-first century? When I began to compile this book, I asked several people what they thought of proverbs, and encountered a surprising number of negative reactions. One widely held view maintains that proverbs are clich?d expressions, used by those who have not bothered to think clearly. Another sees them as out of date, a reflection of a bygone age. One person – an Internet geek – told me that he ‘wouldn’t be seen dead using one’, citing ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’ as a case in point. There is a curious double-think operating. I later heard that same geek joking with some colleagues about the poor military intelligence that had led a certain government to make some bad decisions. ‘Garbage in, garbage out’, said the geek. The phrase originated in his IT world: if invalid data (garbage) is entered into a system, the output will also be invalid. During the 1990s, the expression came to be applied to an increasingly varied range of situations. Within a decade, it had taken on proverbial status. My anti-proverbial geek was using a proverb without realizing it. Within a few days of that first enquiry, I heard several people dropping proverbs, or fragments of proverbs, into their conversations. ‘Needs must’, said one. ‘Ask a silly question’, said another. ‘People in glass houses’, said a third. None of them bothered to complete the well-known proverbs. They were taken for granted. People may not quote proverbs in full as much as they used to, or treat them with the high respect of an earlier age, but they certainly allude to them. Anyone looking out for proverbs in everyday situations would quickly be able to add to the following brief selection: A university department that was being axed advertised its farewell party under the banner headline: ‘Come and Hear the Fat Lady Sing’. A TV comedian made a risqu? joke based on ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’. A US motel trying to attract custom to the claimed comfort of its facilities had a sign outside: ‘The early bird only gets the worm’. A TV comedy programme called itself ‘Birds of a Feather’. Proverbs continue to fascinate people. Here is a test anyone can do. Choose one of the less familiar proverbs from this book, drop it into a conversation, and see what happens. My favourite is the Irish proverb Never bolt your door with a boiled carrot. There is invariably an interesting discussion about the proverb’s origins and use. And one proverb then reminds someone of another. It is a bit like punning: when one person makes a pun, others try to do better. Puns are batted back and forth. Some linguists have called this phenomenon ‘ping-pong punning’. There is ping-pong proverbing too. Proverb exchanges and contests have a literary history. You will find one in Shakespeare (#litres_trial_promo). There is something about the proverbs associated with other cultures that allows them to evade the kind of criticism we level at our own native expressions. Whatever else we might say about the following, we would not for one moment call them clich?s. A coconut shell full of water is a sea to an ant (ZANZIBAR) Don’t call the alligator a big-mouth till you have crossed the river (BELIZE) An untouched drum does not speak (LIBERIA) Do not try to borrow combs from shaven monks (CHINA) Such proverbs do more than express a general truth or universal belief. Each in its own way adds a tiny bit more to our understanding of the world’s linguistic and cultural diversity, and thus helps us grasp more fully what it means to be human. It is a commonplace of comparative linguistics that every language expresses a unique vision of the world. This is not to say that each language is so different from others that its speakers can never communicate outside their own people. The existence of ‘balanced bilinguals’ – people who have learned two languages from childhood with equal fluency – and the everyday phenomenon of translating and interpreting proves otherwise. Rather, it is to point out that languages are not identical in the way in which they talk about the world. There is a limit to the amount of exact translation equivalence that can be achieved, and people have to be satisfied with an approximation. And it is in this area of approximate equivalence that fascinating cultural differences can be found. Commentators over the years have drawn attention to the importance of a comparative linguistic perspective on life. Here is Ezra Pound, in The ABC of Reading (1960): The sum of human wisdom is not contained in any one language, and no single language is capable of expressing all forms and degrees of human comprehension. And here is George Steiner, in a 1967 essay (‘F R Leavis’): Is it not the duty of the critic to avail himself, in some imperfect measure at least, of another language – if only to experience the defining contours of his own? The ideal, of course, is to learn enough of another language to be able to get a sense of the differences directly – to feel the contours, without having to rely on a translating intermediary. The second-best approach is to read, in translation, as much as possible of the culturally distinctive literature of other languages, such as its poems, stories, myths, legends – and proverbs. A collection of cross-linguistic proverbs is of special interest because it conveys two opposed but equally interesting messages. On the one hand, it draws attention to the differences of expression and perception which characterize the world’s communities. On the other hand, it shows that, to a very great extent, these communities are the same. People recognize, admire and worry over similar things. Notions such as ‘More haste, less speed’ can be found in dozens of cultures. And in such examples as the following, the nuance may vary, but the spirit behind the proverb remains the same: A guest and a fish after three days are poison (FRANCE) Seven days is the length of a guest’s life (MYANMAR) However, this common human perspective is a complication when it comes to compiling a book such as this one, which aims to be illustrative of proverbial diversity and not comprehensive. It is not possible, in a short selection, to include a proverb as it appears in every country; nor – if reader interest is to be preserved – is it desirable. To illustrate the point, consider these variations on the guest theme – just a few taken from Selwyn Gurney Champion’s huge collection of translated cultural proverbs (see Further Reading (#litres_trial_promo)): A fish and a guest go bad on the third day and must be thrown out (BASQUE) Fish and guests smell at three days old (DANISH) A guest, like a fish, stinks the third day (DUTCH) A fish and a guest after three days are poison (ENGLISH) Guests and fish will get old on the third day (ESTONIAN) The first day a guest, the second a guest, the third day a calamity (HINDI) Even a welcome guest becomes a bore on the third day (JAPANESE) We need only one example to appreciate the point, but that means grasping the nettle and selecting one country to represent all. I have endeavoured to introduce as wide a range of countries as possible, when making such choices. There are 110 (apart from England) listed in Index 5 (#litres_trial_promo). All anthologies are made with particular audiences in mind, and selections inevitably change over time. Until as recently as thirty years ago, it would have been normal to find in any proverb collection a predominantly masculine bias, reflecting traditional male-dominated society. Many items, both those native to English and those in translation, would have begun with ‘He who …’ or ‘The man who …’. Times have moved on. I have replaced these with a generic usage, unless there is a genuine male v female contrast involved. A remarkable number of proverbs, in many countries, also reflect unpalatable notions, such as the desirability of beating one’s wife to ensure obedience. And most countries have proverbs which are extremely rude about the people, politics, or religion of their neighbours, especially those with whom they have been at war. I have not included these either, wishing to provide a selection which reinforces the ideals of a more tolerant and inclusive age. The dismissive attitudes are available in the older literature cited in Further Reading (#litres_trial_promo), should anyone wish to read them. From a linguistic point of view, I have adopted a sentence-based notion of proverb, as is usual these days. In earlier times, the notion of a proverbial expression covered a wide range of linguistic features, including idioms, riddles, similes, and everyday phrases. John Bull, hard cheese, Merry England, and I told you so have all been called ‘proverbs’ in one collection or another, in times past. All the proverbs in the present collection are sentences, conveying autonomous units of sense in a succinct form. Many display structural balance, parallelism, rhythmical contrast, and other rhetorical features which add to their memorability and help explain their common use. But it is not obligatory for a proverb to have a tightly controlled linguistic structure. What is important is the insight rather than the form. It is not easy to define proverbs from the point of view of the kinds of insight they express. They are generalizations which express a remarkable range of functions – conveying advice, warning against consequences, predicting likelihoods, and recommending behaviours (such as diplomacy, courtesy, charity, and kindliness). Many are quite literal, such as An apple a day keeps the doctor away. The more interesting ones operate at two levels of meaning. Whatever we can say about the meaning of Don’t burn your candle at both ends, one thing is certain: we are not really talking about candles. Proverb collections have used many methods of organization, from alphabetical order to a broad thematic classification. For the present book, I felt the most interesting principle would be to organize the material into semantic fields, as it is in these domains that we are likely to encounter interesting cultural comparisons. Semantic fields are ways of organizing words (more strictly, lexemes: see Index 4 (#litres_trial_promo)) into related groups, such as ‘furniture’, ‘fruit’, and ‘parts of the body’. There is no single way of grouping words (and thus proverbs) semantically. Within the category of ‘parts of the body’, for example, we can distinguish such contrasts as ‘upper’ v ‘lower’, or ‘head’ v ‘trunk’ v ‘limbs’, or ‘arms’ v ‘legs’, or ‘fingers’ v ‘hands’, and so on. For the present book, I have allowed my depth of detail to be influenced by the nature of the proverbial material. Proverbs talk quite a lot about parts of the body, so I have devoted several sections to them (232–250). By contrast, there are very few proverbs devoted to musical instruments, so I have grouped all types of instrument under a single heading (272). But how to organize the semantic fields into a sequence? Some collections adopt an arbitrary solution, listing them alphabetically, beginning with ‘Ability’ (or some other A-notion) and ending with such categories as ‘Year’ or ‘Youth’. This has the disadvantage of separating groups that we feel should belong together. Others list proverbs according to the ‘most significant word’ – an approach which is doomed to confusion, faced with the many proverbs that contain words that compete for our attention. Which is the most significant word in The sweeter the perfume, the uglier the flies which gather round the bottle? Plainly, all the main words make a contribution to the sense, and all need to be recognized. I much prefer an approach which sequences proverb categories on the basis of the semantic relationship between them. I could have started from scratch, and devised a new system, but what is the point, when we already have a system of semantic classification that has been in widespread use for the past 150 years? I am referring to Roget’s Thesaurus, first published in May 1852. Roget has become the standard tool for people who want a thesaurus which organizes words into fields of meaning (as distinct from those thesauruses which list words in alphabetical order along with sets of synonyms and antonyms). I felt the level of generality which Roget used in his approach would be close to that required in a thematic classification of proverbs, so I adopted his logic as a means of sequencing the themes I needed to recognize in this book. Sometimes Roget’s categories were too abstract, and I had to break them down into more specific domains. Sometimes they were too narrow, and I had to group them into broader types. But on the whole the exercise was helpful, and many of my themes are in a one-to-one relationship with Roget’s. The approach may also help those who wish to take Roget in new directions. I have always regretted the absence of proverbs in that work, and Indexes 2 and 3 of the present book can be used to add a proverbial dimension to it. How then to handle the complexity of such proverbs as The sweeter the perfume, the uglier the flies which gather round the bottle? If one of the constituent words stood out – flies, say – it would be possible to place the proverb into the appropriate category (‘Insects’) and cross-refer all the other words to it. But that would mean five cross references – from sweet, perfume, ugly, gather round, and bottle. Clearly, such a method of classification would flood a book with cross references, and readers would be forever jumping around with their fingers in different pages. The alternative is to place the proverb into each of the semantic fields that its constituent words belong to. So, we would locate this proverb once under ‘Bottles’, once under ‘Sweet’, and so on. The demerit of this approach is that a single proverb appears several times throughout the book. But this is far outweighed, in my view, by the convenience of seeing each proverb in its appropriate semantic place, without the need for cross reference. The statistics are as follows: the book as a whole has some 7,500 listings, representing 2,015 different proverbs, grouped into 468 semantic fields, representing around 650 themes. For a list of the semantic fields and their order, see the Contents page (#u53347b6c-1dbd-571a-ad39-ef362a801bb0). For a complete listing of all the themes recognized within these fields, see Index 1 (#litres_trial_promo). Anthologies are never finished, only abandoned. In the case of proverbs, one has to recognize very early on that the field is one of extraordinary magnitude. The proverbs of the world are numbered not in thousands but in millions. What is a couple of thousand among so many? I believe that small-scale compilations have their place, for there are still many avenues in the investigation of proverbs which remain to be explored. For this book, I have attempted to integrate just two dimensions – the cross-cultural and the semantic. But they are dimensions which are not usually considered together, and I hope thereby to make a small contribution to the evolution of this fascinating field. This has also been an exercise in standing on shoulders. My research has taken me from the early classical collections, such as Ray’s Proverbs of 1767, into modern popular collections, of the ‘Thousand Chinese Proverbs’ type, and from there into the World Wide Web, where there are now some remarkable intercultural sites. I give some references in Further Reading (#litres_trial_promo). I warmly acknowledge the help I have had from earlier paremiographers, and hope that this latest anthology does them, and their field, no disservice. David Crystal THEMATIC CLASSIFICATION (#ulink_e2e4cc0a-359e-5dcf-9c4c-9125ebdc8ff2) 1  Existence (#ulink_975e2f6f-b6d6-5c35-83be-c8d443cfa20f) 2  Family (#ulink_2718102a-6a6f-5c66-afe8-4ace6d1873ff) 3  Sameness (#ulink_ac8cdd2b-3b0a-5ca6-b940-08477f30570b) 4  Difference (#ulink_7a12c028-9de1-5492-81db-5a1201931d9c) 5  Small amount (#ulink_6fa2aff2-97d1-5c8c-949f-e9335d0ab672) 6  Large amount (#ulink_76866573-f3a8-5214-986e-ef9a466814b2) 7  Increase – Decrease (#ulink_3d34bf3c-aa70-54f8-8586-53475105e3ef) 8  One alone (#ulink_984c68ad-388f-5abf-9197-f197ed54edf6) 9  One of two (#ulink_c40f69ca-8840-5572-acc4-65c8a04f5c02) 10  One of several (#ulink_a53cedb1-1c50-57c9-a66a-9248f76b7db7) 11  Accompaniment (#ulink_fd3cfbd7-acc6-528f-897d-cd5f56a4dc40) 12  Two – Twice – Both (#ulink_d6f39ec7-fd1b-5119-a731-634561d54106) 13  Three – Third (#ulink_7e5c29b4-f830-526b-bd29-4f56cdbe21cc) 14  Four or more (#ulink_b6139d50-4db3-5c3d-8230-66ae32703dc1) 15  Next to nothing 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Abroad (#ulink_ee8e7685-92a3-5e29-9c66-8c6157844562) 63  Countries (#ulink_12006c40-c2d3-59f6-b709-74b4f447fb03) 64  Cities – Towns – Villages (#ulink_92003ed6-5ff5-5079-8d84-22cf7fa5da41) 65  Where to live (#ulink_f9eead69-7b29-5f92-a430-64afb677bad7) 66  Houses (#ulink_46253aa4-9ea4-5621-86b8-2fc4f9fa8ce9) 67  Doors – Windows – Keys (#ulink_a1300cf3-af10-508e-ba8a-c6a71eaded59) 68  Guests (#ulink_b22495bd-cf3d-58b9-9a78-4e5c4ada6ce4) 69  Absent – Present (#ulink_50088d09-8918-5569-9482-b01745f9dcdf) 70  Bags – Sacks (#ulink_1be55c3a-3952-5dfa-9879-a12dd2a7b3d8) 71  Barrels – Casks (#ulink_3b7b2e6e-4b56-5100-b5c4-75750e434482) 72  Baskets (#ulink_cf6405fc-c07b-5f73-8d13-f767edd91266) 73  Bottles – Cans (#ulink_6e89645b-50e8-5b8b-aca2-d6de57abdb6e) 74  Cups – Glasses (#ulink_9d178c62-059e-5522-8f29-3dc26faed856) 75  Dishes – Plates (#ulink_60570580-2515-555a-a47b-6409781bb259) 76  Pots – Bowls – Jugs (#ulink_a82b153e-a335-5637-9c29-7e6576c0ece9) 77  Spoons – Ladles (#ulink_76fe25fb-96e5-551c-992b-ef91e003c0f9) 78  Wells (#ulink_6dac6953-88a8-54a4-aeb4-0ff4a908d222) 79  Other containers (#ulink_2c73a7e6-67ca-5637-8951-eee68b44c92b) 80  Loads (#ulink_915c5539-270e-5b8e-b476-aaea495aa566) 81  Big size (#ulink_ef59e109-a508-5a73-a177-ebf4141ffc50) 82  Little size (#ulink_e965d9e4-daf4-5311-ac5e-fdcc7e134de5) 83  Big v Little (#ulink_3bd40134-bb0a-5822-a2a2-def8760321f3) 84  Distance (#ulink_18ef87b0-19f8-59d9-8abc-8722d8a4b9bc) 85  Nearness (#ulink_bb46be95-ee9e-5c04-8607-6571bc97b61c) 86  Long – Short (#ulink_1f97db8d-8f5e-5f1c-900e-a0fc39fc7be5) 87  Middle – Ends (#ulink_db26cd4f-d243-5017-91d5-42d17fbfa4e1) 88  Wide – Narrow (#ulink_0702b0a8-6498-5711-bf02-50e7d7ef9bd0) 89  Hairs – Threads (#ulink_b20aadfe-2a6c-5a3c-bb23-250b0fed6bfa) 90  High – Low (#ulink_4cd9eadc-23e6-5a0c-876e-732994e04376) 91  Depth (#ulink_a84423c8-9df2-55b3-a849-51ef62871181) 92  Hills – Mountains (#ulink_93b51344-e393-5713-a492-0f9fd8c3e633) 93  Top – Bottom 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(#ulink_cd14713f-358b-559e-97d8-131bb5c75bb4) 110  Sides (#ulink_f7359e1d-4ddd-5d49-ac38-ece881b76f39) 111  Building (#ulink_02cbb98a-6978-5681-bb5d-2c4ac5f7d2f1) 112  Straight – Bent – Crooked (#ulink_98955af4-7ba7-5c88-a320-66b33be4d853) 113  Roundness (#ulink_145ef9f3-4c94-5768-9be7-d2d9eff85a49) 114  Prominences (#ulink_5c4e0b10-d4cd-5a04-8864-8aeaa78e6a91) 115  Holes (#ulink_aece90cb-9cd4-58ed-a933-700ca87eddfc) 116  Sharp things (#ulink_099164ef-6eb4-5f42-b08d-7eb416b3e61c) 117  Rough – Smooth (#ulink_08ba17f7-bd40-5b8a-aedd-52e5faa25725) 118  Opening – Closing (#ulink_4574a68a-08eb-5deb-bf60-6b8bed8effef) 119  Motion (#ulink_fa0286ac-6a1e-56bf-a74e-a0a72946ac73) 120  Standing still (#ulink_7ef7d12d-0d70-50e7-94b7-e1d85fe6be25) 121  Coming – Going (#ulink_67f4bd3e-c0a6-5df6-ae1b-925b4c894115) 122  Walking (#ulink_5bfd1c66-8f49-5b76-95bb-805815ef0f39) 123  Riding (#ulink_fa77d334-14dd-5f1b-b755-3cf5d40701b3) 124  Carrying (#ulink_9d3d0b87-5f79-5d2b-b68f-19d4856f4702) 125  Travel by land (#ulink_8a0c0ba2-f736-5b43-9a52-51b114ee59cb) 126  Travel by sea (#ulink_cd149055-cdcc-5d91-8aaa-8445b3be5285) 127  Travel by river (#ulink_07065b44-3550-56a9-bf62-274d043c4a39) 128  Swimming (#ulink_55de28f7-2a63-5b02-afbf-210f4c985a80) 129  Travel by air (#ulink_40afbf27-1827-5b19-b8b9-baa17570eb7e) 130  Fast (#ulink_aaba8e6d-f310-55ed-a792-4a8d444103b8) 131  Slow (#ulink_dfb61c77-d14e-5f7f-8271-bcfc23016db4) 132  Striking (#ulink_a4866aea-6473-561b-b667-16619af41c18) 133  Directions (#litres_trial_promo) 134  Throwing (#litres_trial_promo) 135  Pushing – Pulling (#litres_trial_promo) 136  Arrival (#litres_trial_promo) 137  Departure (#litres_trial_promo) 138  Entering – Leaving (#litres_trial_promo) 139  Hunger (#litres_trial_promo) 140  Thirst (#litres_trial_promo) 141  Eating (#litres_trial_promo) 142  Food (#litres_trial_promo) 143  Cooking (#litres_trial_promo) 144  Meals (#litres_trial_promo) 145  Fruit (#litres_trial_promo) 146  Vegetables (#litres_trial_promo) 147  Meat (#litres_trial_promo) 148  Soup (#litres_trial_promo) 149  Bakery (#litres_trial_promo) 150  Dairy (#litres_trial_promo) 151  Sauces – Condiments – Sweeteners (#litres_trial_promo) 152  Alcoholic drinks (#litres_trial_promo) 153  Non-alcoholic drinks (#litres_trial_promo) 154  Excretion (#litres_trial_promo) 155  Inserting – Extracting (#litres_trial_promo) 156  Passing (#litres_trial_promo) 157  Ascent (#litres_trial_promo) 158  Descent (#litres_trial_promo) 159  Lifting – Rising (#litres_trial_promo) 160  Lowering – Dropping (#litres_trial_promo) 161  Jumping (#litres_trial_promo) 162  Revolving (#litres_trial_promo) 163  Shaking (#litres_trial_promo) 164  Things (#litres_trial_promo) 165  Materials (#litres_trial_promo) 166  World (#litres_trial_promo) 167  Sun – Moon – Stars (#litres_trial_promo) 168  Sky – Clouds – Weather (#litres_trial_promo) 169  Wind (#litres_trial_promo) 170  Weight (#litres_trial_promo) 171  Hard – Brittle – Soft (#litres_trial_promo) 172  Flour (#litres_trial_promo) 173  Rubbing – Lubricating (#litres_trial_promo) 174  Water (#litres_trial_promo) 175  Semi-liquids – Semi-solids (#litres_trial_promo) 176  Wet – Dry (#litres_trial_promo) 177  Seas (#litres_trial_promo) 178  Rivers – Streams (#litres_trial_promo) 179  Inland water (#litres_trial_promo) 180  Conduits (#litres_trial_promo) 181  Land – Ground (#litres_trial_promo) 182  Rocks – Stones (#litres_trial_promo) 183  Breathing – Blowing (#litres_trial_promo) 184  Birth (#litres_trial_promo) 185  Life (#litres_trial_promo) 186  Death (#litres_trial_promo) 187  Life v Death (#litres_trial_promo) 188  Killing (#litres_trial_promo) 189  Drowning (#litres_trial_promo) 190  Corpses – Burials (#litres_trial_promo) 191  Bears (#litres_trial_promo) 192  Camels (#litres_trial_promo) 193  Cats (#litres_trial_promo) 194  Cattle – Oxen (#litres_trial_promo) 195  Dogs (#litres_trial_promo) 196  Elephants (#litres_trial_promo) 197  Foxes (#litres_trial_promo) 198  Goats (#litres_trial_promo) 199  Horses – Donkeys (#litres_trial_promo) 200  Hyenas (#litres_trial_promo) 201  Lions – Tigers – Leopards (#litres_trial_promo) 202  Mice – Rats (#litres_trial_promo) 203  Monkeys – Gorillas (#litres_trial_promo) 204  Pigs (#litres_trial_promo) 205  Rabbits – Hares (#litres_trial_promo) 206  Sheep (#litres_trial_promo) 207  Wolves (#litres_trial_promo) 208  Other wild animals (#litres_trial_promo) 209  Birds (#litres_trial_promo) 210  Types of bird (#litres_trial_promo) 211  Poultry (#litres_trial_promo) 212  Fish – Fishing (#litres_trial_promo) 213  Types of fish – Crustaceans (#litres_trial_promo) 214  Frogs – Toads (#litres_trial_promo) 215  Reptiles (#litres_trial_promo) 216  Worms (#litres_trial_promo) 217  Ants (#litres_trial_promo) 218  Bees (#litres_trial_promo) 219  Fleas (#litres_trial_promo) 220  Flies (#litres_trial_promo) 221  Other insects (#litres_trial_promo) 222  Forests – Woods (#litres_trial_promo) 223  Trees (#litres_trial_promo) 224  Grass – Hay (#litres_trial_promo) 225  Bushes – Hedges (#litres_trial_promo) 226  Flowers – Gardens (#litres_trial_promo) 227  Agriculture (#litres_trial_promo) 228  People – Peoples (#litres_trial_promo) 229  Men (#litres_trial_promo) 230  Women (#litres_trial_promo) 231  Men v Women (#litres_trial_promo) 232  Heart – Blood (#litres_trial_promo) 233  Bones – Joints (#litres_trial_promo) 234  Back – Buttocks (#litres_trial_promo) 235  Stomach – Liver (#litres_trial_promo) 236  Skin – Fur – Shell – Feathers (#litres_trial_promo) 237  Head (#litres_trial_promo) 238  Hair (or not) (#litres_trial_promo) 239  Face (#litres_trial_promo) 240  Mouth (#litres_trial_promo) 241  Tongue (#litres_trial_promo) 242  Teeth (#litres_trial_promo) 243  Ears (#litres_trial_promo) 244  Eyes (#litres_trial_promo) 245  Arms (#litres_trial_promo) 246  Hands (#litres_trial_promo) 247  Fingers – Thumbs (#litres_trial_promo) 248  Legs (#litres_trial_promo) 249  Feet – Toes (#litres_trial_promo) 250  Tail (#litres_trial_promo) 251  Washing (#litres_trial_promo) 252  Feeling (#litres_trial_promo) 253  Touch (#litres_trial_promo) 254  Heat – Warmth (#litres_trial_promo) 255  Fire (#litres_trial_promo) 256  Extinguishing (#litres_trial_promo) 257  Fuel – Smoke (#litres_trial_promo) 258  Cold – Cool (#litres_trial_promo) 259  Taste (#litres_trial_promo) 260  Sweet (#litres_trial_promo) 261  Sour (#litres_trial_promo) 262  Smell (#litres_trial_promo) 263  Sound (#litres_trial_promo) 264  Silence (#litres_trial_promo) 265  Faint noise (#litres_trial_promo) 266  Loudness (#litres_trial_promo) 267  Object noises (#litres_trial_promo) 268  Animal noises (#litres_trial_promo) 269  Human noises (#litres_trial_promo) 270  Music (#litres_trial_promo) 271  Song (#litres_trial_promo) 272  Musical instruments (#litres_trial_promo) 273  Hearing (#litres_trial_promo) 274  Light (#litres_trial_promo) 275  Candles – Lanterns (#litres_trial_promo) 276  Dark (#litres_trial_promo) 277  Looking – Seeing (#litres_trial_promo) 278  Blindness (#litres_trial_promo) 279  Colours (#litres_trial_promo) 280  Black – White (#litres_trial_promo) 281  Watching (#litres_trial_promo) 282  Appearing – Disappearing (#litres_trial_promo) 283  Mind (#litres_trial_promo) 284  Thinking (#litres_trial_promo) 285  Attention – Inattention (#litres_trial_promo) 286  Careful – Careless (#litres_trial_promo) 287  Questions (#litres_trial_promo) 288  Answers (#litres_trial_promo) 289  Seeking (#litres_trial_promo) 290  Counting – Testing – Measuring (#litres_trial_promo) 291  Possible – Probable – Impossible (#litres_trial_promo) 292  Certain – Uncertain (#litres_trial_promo) 293  Judging (#litres_trial_promo) 294  Discovering (#litres_trial_promo) 295  Belief – Unbelief (#litres_trial_promo) 296  Knowledge (#litres_trial_promo) 297  Ignorance (#litres_trial_promo) 298  Scholarship (#litres_trial_promo) 299  Truth (#litres_trial_promo) 300  Error (#litres_trial_promo) 301  Proverbs – Sayings (#litres_trial_promo) 302  Intelligence (#litres_trial_promo) 303  Wisdom (#litres_trial_promo) 304  Stupidity (#litres_trial_promo) 305  Madness (#litres_trial_promo) 306  Remembering (#litres_trial_promo) 307  Forgetting (#litres_trial_promo) 308  Expectation (#litres_trial_promo) 309  Destiny (#litres_trial_promo) 310  Meaning (#litres_trial_promo) 311  Information (#litres_trial_promo) 312  Disclosure (#litres_trial_promo) 313  Concealment (#litres_trial_promo) 314  Books (#litres_trial_promo) 315  News – Advertising (#litres_trial_promo) 316  Teaching – Learning (#litres_trial_promo) 317  Lies (#litres_trial_promo) 318  Deception (#litres_trial_promo) 319  Signs – Symbols (#litres_trial_promo) 320  Art – Arts (#litres_trial_promo) 321  Languages (#litres_trial_promo) 322  Words (#litres_trial_promo) 323  Names – Titles (#litres_trial_promo) 324  Speech (#litres_trial_promo) 325  Conversation (#litres_trial_promo) 326  Reading – Writing (#litres_trial_promo) 327  Literature (#litres_trial_promo) 328  Endurance – Patience (#litres_trial_promo) 329  Choice (#litres_trial_promo) 330  Habit – Practice (#litres_trial_promo) 331  Good (#litres_trial_promo) 332  Better (#litres_trial_promo) 333  Best (#litres_trial_promo) 334  Bad (#litres_trial_promo) 335  Worse (#litres_trial_promo) 336  Worst (#litres_trial_promo) 337  Business (#litres_trial_promo) 338  Pursuit (#litres_trial_promo) 339  Avoidance (#litres_trial_promo) 340  Passageway (#litres_trial_promo) 341  Roads – Streets (#litres_trial_promo) 342  Need (#litres_trial_promo) 343  Manner – Means (#litres_trial_promo) 344  Tools (#litres_trial_promo) 345  Providing – Keeping (#litres_trial_promo) 346  Sufficient (#litres_trial_promo) 347  Importance (#litres_trial_promo) 348  No matter (#litres_trial_promo) 349  Useful (#litres_trial_promo) 350  Useless (#litres_trial_promo) 351  Perfect – Imperfect (#litres_trial_promo) 352  Clean (#litres_trial_promo) 353  Dirty (#litres_trial_promo) 354  Health – Ill health (#litres_trial_promo) 355  Diseases (#litres_trial_promo) 356  Mending – Restoring (#litres_trial_promo) 357  Healing – Medicine (#litres_trial_promo) 358  Doctors – Dentists (#litres_trial_promo) 359  Deterioration (#litres_trial_promo) 360  Poison (#litres_trial_promo) 361  Safety – Danger (#litres_trial_promo) 362  Preservation (#litres_trial_promo) 363  Trying (#litres_trial_promo) 364  Using – Not using (#litres_trial_promo) 365  Deeds (#litres_trial_promo) 366  Work – Pay – Leisure (#litres_trial_promo) 367  Energy (#litres_trial_promo) 368  Operation (#litres_trial_promo) 369  Inactivity (#litres_trial_promo) 370  Laziness (#litres_trial_promo) 371  Awake – Asleep (#litres_trial_promo) 372  Beds (#litres_trial_promo) 373  Haste (#litres_trial_promo) 374  Advice (#litres_trial_promo) 375  Ability – Skill – Cunning (#litres_trial_promo) 376  Difficult (#litres_trial_promo) 377  Easy (#litres_trial_promo) 378  Help (#litres_trial_promo) 379  Taking sides (#litres_trial_promo) 380  Quarrelling (#litres_trial_promo) 381  Attack – Fighting (#litres_trial_promo) 382  Defence – Castles (#litres_trial_promo) 383  War – Peace (#litres_trial_promo) 384  Soldiers (#litres_trial_promo) 385  Weapons (#litres_trial_promo) 386  Complete – Incomplete (#litres_trial_promo) 387  Success – Failure (#litres_trial_promo) 388  Fortune – Misfortune (#litres_trial_promo) 389  Luck – Bad luck (#litres_trial_promo) 390  Power (#litres_trial_promo) 391  Obedience – Disobedience (#litres_trial_promo) 392  Service (#litres_trial_promo) 393  Freedom (#litres_trial_promo) 394  Catching (#litres_trial_promo) 395  Restraint (#litres_trial_promo) 396  Permission (#litres_trial_promo) 397  Prevention (#litres_trial_promo) 398  Acquiring (#litres_trial_promo) 399  Losing (#litres_trial_promo) 400  Having possessions (#litres_trial_promo) 401  Having a mind (#litres_trial_promo) 402  Having a body (#litres_trial_promo) 403  Having relatives and pets (#litres_trial_promo) 404  What animals have (#litres_trial_promo) 405  What things and notions have (#litres_trial_promo) 406  Offers – Promises – Refusals (#litres_trial_promo) 407  Retaining (#litres_trial_promo) 408  Giving – Gifts (#litres_trial_promo) 409  Receiving (#litres_trial_promo) 410  Lending – Borrowing (#litres_trial_promo) 411  Taking (#litres_trial_promo) 412  Stealing (#litres_trial_promo) 413  Buying – Selling (#litres_trial_promo) 414  Money (#litres_trial_promo) 415  Types of money (#litres_trial_promo) 416  Rich – Poor (#litres_trial_promo) 417  Payment (#litres_trial_promo) 418  Cost (#litres_trial_promo) 419  Cheap – Dear (#litres_trial_promo) 420  Economizing (#litres_trial_promo) 421  Happiness – Joy (#litres_trial_promo) 422  Pleasure (#litres_trial_promo) 423  Sadness – Grief (#litres_trial_promo) 424  Pain (#litres_trial_promo) 425  Troubles (#litres_trial_promo) 426  Laughing – Jesting (#litres_trial_promo) 427  Crying (#litres_trial_promo) 428  Amusements (#litres_trial_promo) 429  Performing arts (#litres_trial_promo) 430  Gambling – Cards (#litres_trial_promo) 431  Sports – Games (#litres_trial_promo) 432  Beauty (#litres_trial_promo) 433  Beautification (#litres_trial_promo) 434  Jewellery – Ornament (#litres_trial_promo) 435  Spoiling (#litres_trial_promo) 436  Ridicule (#litres_trial_promo) 437  Hope (#litres_trial_promo) 438  Fear (#litres_trial_promo) 439  Courage (#litres_trial_promo) 440  Caution (#litres_trial_promo) 441  Desire (#litres_trial_promo) 442  Wonders (#litres_trial_promo) 443  Fame – Shame (#litres_trial_promo) 444  Pride – Modesty (#litres_trial_promo) 445  Friends (#litres_trial_promo) 446  Neighbours (#litres_trial_promo) 447  Enemies (#litres_trial_promo) 448  Society (#litres_trial_promo) 449  Politeness (#litres_trial_promo) 450  Love (#litres_trial_promo) 451  Kisses – Caresses (#litres_trial_promo) 452  Dislike – Anger (#litres_trial_promo) 453  Marriage (#litres_trial_promo) 454  Tenderness – Forgiveness (#litres_trial_promo) 455  Goodness – Evil (#litres_trial_promo) 456  Deserving (#litres_trial_promo) 457  Respect – Contempt (#litres_trial_promo) 458  Praise – Blame (#litres_trial_promo) 459  Drunkenness (#litres_trial_promo) 460  Laws – Lawyers (#litres_trial_promo) 461  Punishment (#litres_trial_promo) 462  God – Gods (#litres_trial_promo) 463  Angels – Saints (#litres_trial_promo) 464  Devils (#litres_trial_promo) 465  Heaven (#litres_trial_promo) 466  Worship (#litres_trial_promo) 467  Clergy (#litres_trial_promo) 468  Church (#litres_trial_promo) LIST OF PANELS (#ulink_ae73a02a-4e9a-5fc1-b4f3-3074c8bbfdd4) Panel 1 Family mottoes Panel 2 Groups of three Panel 3 Proverbs in Shakespeare Panel 4 Country variations – climate Panel 5 Present tense Panel 6 Belonging together Panel 7 Children play with proverbs Panel 8 Country variations – artefacts Panel 9 Succinctness Panel 10 Local words Panel 11 Phonetic structure Panel 12 Dramatic proverbs Panel 13 Tracing a history Panel 14 First person proverbs Panel 15 A character called Proverbs Panel 16 Country variations – animals Panel 17 Country variations – plants Panel 18 Contrasts Panel 19 Proverb grammar Panel 20 A catch-phrase becoming a proverb Panel 21 Nonstandard language Panel 22 Paremiographers Panel 23 Proverbs in Shakespeare’s school Panel 24 A proverb poem Panel 25 Proverbial software Panel 26 ‘Proverbs’ in Shakespeare Panel 27 Being bilingual Panel 28 Authorial creations Panel 29 Adults play with proverbs Panel 30 Country variations – beliefs and behaviour Panel 31 Biblical proverbs Panel 32 Unfinished proverbs 1 EXISTENCE 1 God did not create hurry FINLAND 2 Do not blame God for having created the tiger, but thank Him for not having given it wings ETHIOPIA 3 The face came before the photograph USA 4 Heroism consists in hanging on one minute longer NORWAY 5 Everything comes to those who wait ENGLAND 6 There’s a time and a place for everything ENGLAND 7 The existence of the sea means the existence of pirates MALAYSIA 8 Handsome is as handsome does ENGLAND 9 Friendly is as friendly does USA 10 Everything is possible, except to bite your own nose NETHERLANDS 11 Fingers were made before forks ENGLAND 12 The bigger they come, the harder they fall USA 13 When God made the rabbit He made bushes too HUNGARY 14 Let the church stand in the churchyard ENGLAND 15 Everything will perish save love and music SCOTLAND 16 Rules are made to be broken ENGLAND 17 If you aren’t what you ain’t, then you ain’t what you are USA 2 FAMILY 1 If you have no relatives, get married EGYPT 2 Vultures eat with their blood relations SOUTH AFRICA 3 One family builds the wall; two families enjoy it CHINA 4 In every family’s cooking-pot is one black spot CHINA 5 The bazaar knows neither father nor mother TURKEY 6 A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother SIERRA LEONE 7 If my aunt had wheels, she might be an omnibus NETHERLANDS 8 Bed is your brother ZANZIBAR 9 Better a neighbour over the wall than a brother over the sea ALBANIA 10 Two happy days are seldom brothers BULGARIA 11 Three brothers, three fortresses PORTUGAL 12 Brotherly love for brotherly love, but cheese for money ALBANIA 13 Children regard their father’s guest as a slave REPUBLIC OF CONGO 14 A father is a banker provided by nature FRANCE 15 It’s a wise child that knows its own father ENGLAND 16 The house with an old grandparent harbours a jewel CHINA 17 Those whose mother is naked are not likely to clothe their aunt SUDAN 18 Love and blindness are twin sisters UKRAINE 19 When you are chased by a wolf you call the boar your uncle SLOVENIA 20 The spear of kinship soon pierces the eye CAMEROON 21 Many kiss the child for the nurse’s sake ENGLAND 22 Those who gossip about their relatives have no luck and no blessing NETHERLANDS 3 SAMENESS 1 It is not the one way everyone goes mad IRELAND 2 The cry of the hyena and the loss of the goat are one NIGERIA 3 Both legs in the stocks or only one is all the same GERMANY 4 Luck and bad luck are driving in the same sledge RUSSIA1 FAMILY MOTTOES (#ulink_0c12a696-0bfb-5ad3-95e9-a240e6de552c)Many Latin family mottoes are no more than single words or phrases, such as Labora (‘Endeavour’). But a number are sentences with a proverbial character. Some families have even adopted a proverb as their motto. In these examples, an illustrative family surname is given in parentheses.Vivis sperandum While there is life there is hope (NIVEN)Non est sine pulvere palma The prize is not won without dust (YARBURGH)Ex vulnere sallus Health comes from a wound (BORTHWICK)Ales volat propriis The bird flies to its own (TUFTON)Praemonitas praemunitus Forewarned, forearmed (RICKART)Virtus omnia vincit Virtue conquers all (WHITE)Labor omnia vincit Labour conquers all (BROWN)Spes anchora tuta Hope is a safe anchor (DUNMURE)Audaces fortuna juvat Fortune favours the brave (CARPENTER)Other languages than Latin can be a source. Here are two from French (or Old French):Qui sera sera What will be will be (BETENSON)Qui s’estime petyt deviendra grand Who esteems himself little will become great (PETYT) 5 Ability and necessity dwell in the same cabin NETHERLANDS 6 Lovers have much to relate – but it is always the same thing GERMANY 7 Those who stumble twice over the same stone are fools LATIN 8 It is the hyenas of the same den that hate one another KENYA 9 Straps come from the same leather ARGENTINA 10 A bad thing that does no harm is the same as a good one that does no good GERMANY 11 There are many paths to the top of the mountain – but the view is always the same CHINA 12 A hole here and there is not the same as a window KENYA 13 You cannot jump over two ditches at the same time NETHERLANDS 14 If you climb up a tree, you must climb down the same tree SIERRA LEONE 15 Thin ice and thick ice look the same from a distance USA 16 No one can blow and swallow at the same time GERMANY 17 No one can paddle two canoes at the same time SOUTH AFRICA 18 You can never get all the possums up the same tree USA 19 Lightning never strikes twice in the same place ENGLAND 20 Love and blindness are twin sisters UKRAINE 21 Crows everywhere are equally black CHINA 22 The water is the same on both sides of the boat FINLAND 23 Not even a bell always rings the same way SERBIA 24 When it rains, the roof always drips the same way LIBERIA 25 Great minds think alike ENGLAND 26 One beetle knows another IRELAND 27 Before God and the bus-conductor we are all equal GERMANY 28 The nail suffers as much as the hole NETHERLANDS 29 Don’t run too far; you will have to come back the same distance FRANCE 30 Your fingers can’t be of the same length CHINA 31 A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother SIERRA LEONE 32 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush ENGLAND 33 A dollar in the bank is worth two in the hand USA 34 The game is not worth the candle ENGLAND 35 Beans are not equal to meat NAMIBIA 36 A child is more than a chip ESTONIA 37 Two wrongs do not make a right ENGLAND 38 The more things change the more they remain the same FRANCE 4 DIFFERENCE 1 Do not put each foot on a different boat CHINA 2 What makes one abbot glad makes another abbot sad SCOTLAND 3 Many people are like clocks, they show one hour and strike another DENMARK 4 When it rains on one it only drips on another NETHERLANDS 5 The broad-minded see the truth in different religions; the narrow-minded see only the differences CHINA 6 Different holes have different fish MALAYSIA 7 You cannot take one part of a fowl for cooking and leave the other part to lay eggs INDIA 8 Look the other way when the girl in the tea-house smiles JAPAN 9 The exception proves the rule ENGLAND 10 A frog beneath a coconut shell believes there is no other world MALAYSIA 11 Other people’s books are difficult to read NETHERLANDS 12 The toughest broncs is always them you’ve rode some other place USA 13 Fools seldom differ ENGLAND 14 Raindrops can’t tell broadcloth from jeans USA 15 One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade CHINA 16 Other trees, other woodcutters LITHUANIA 17 Variety is the spice of life ENGLAND 18 When one door shuts, another opens SCOTLAND 5 SMALL AMOUNT 1 To the ant, a few drops of rain is a flood JAPAN 2 The sea is made bigger even by one drop RUSSIA 3 Better a handful of bees than a basketful of flies MOROCCO 4 Every little helps ENGLAND 5 Those who want the last drop out of the can get the lid on their nose NETHERLANDS 6 Even a small star shines in the darkness FINLAND 7 A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses CHINA 8 A little wood will heat a little oven ENGLAND 9 A sip at a time empties the cask NORWAY 10 The biggest help is help, and even the smallest help is help IRELAND 11 Those who do not wish little things do not deserve big things BELGIUM 12 An indispensable thing never has much value GEORGIA 13 Be always a little afraid so that you never have need of being much afraid FINLAND 14 Cabbage is the best invalid, it needs only a little water SERBIA 15 A good driver turns in a small space FRANCE 16 Errands are small on a spring day ICELAND 17 Every blade of grass gets its own drop of dew SCOTLAND 18 Falling hurts least those who fly low CHINA 19 Generally one loses less by being known too little than by being known too much LATIN 20 If you haven’t much to do, start cleaning your own backyard USA 21 It takes little effort to watch someone carry a load CHINA 22 To part is to die a little FRANCE 23 It’s a small world ENGLAND 24 A little drop of water silences a boiling pot GERMANY 25 Small cares make many words, great ones are mute GERMANY 26 When the bed is small lie in the centre SPAIN 27 A small bed will not hold two persons NIGERIA 28 A tree with ripe fruit needs little shaking SWITZERLAND 29 Least said, soonest mended ENGLAND 30 Little said is easy mended; nothing said needs no mending IRELAND 31 Great consolation may grow out of the smallest saying SWITZERLAND 6 LARGE AMOUNT 1 Much treasure, many moths ESTONIA 2 A big crop is best, but a little crop will do SCOTLAND 3 The bird can drink much, but the elephant drinks more SENEGAL 4 The peace-maker gets two-thirds of the blows MONTENEGRO 5 They that love most speak least SCOTLAND 6 Discretion is the better part of valour ENGLAND 7 A fox knows much; a hedgehog one great thing GREECE 8 Lovers have much to relate – but it is always the same thing GERMANY 9 Many donkeys need much straw SPAIN: BASQUE 10 Many drops make a puddle NETHERLANDS 11 Too much courtesy is discourtesy JAPAN 12 Too much discussion will lead to a row C?TE D’IVOIRE 13 What is inflated too much will burst into fragments ETHIOPIA 14 Where there is most mind there is least money LATIN 15 Who sieves too much, keeps the rubbish BELGIUM 16 Think much, say little, write less FRANCE 17 The fish said, ‘I have much to say, but my mouth is full of water.’ GEORGIA 18 Those who speak much must either know a lot or lie a lot GERMANY 19 Drinking a little too much is drinking a great deal too much GERMANY 20 Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration USA 21 The roughest stone becomes smooth when it is much rolled SWITZERLAND 22 Too much tying loosens SYRIA 23 Who knows much, mistakes much ARMENIA 24 If you engrave it too much it will become a hole INDIA 25 A reasonable amount of fleas is good for a dog; they keep him from broodin’ on being a dog USA 7 INCREASE – DECREASE 1 Little by little grow the bananas REPUBLIC OF CONGO 2 The first stage of folly is to consider oneself wise BELGIUM 3 Friendship is steps KENYA 4 Add caution to caution JAPAN 5 Is it necessary to add acid to the lemon? INDIA 6 Quick work – double work MONTENEGRO 7 Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still CHINA 8 No matter how full the river, it still wants to grow REPUBLIC OF CONGO 9 One good turn deserves another ENGLAND 10 The sea is made bigger even by one drop RUSSIA 11 Two things make one either greater or smaller, praise and shadows GERMANY 12 The more one sleeps the less one lives PORTUGAL 13 More haste, less speed ENGLAND 14 Another day, another dollar USA 15 A bald-headed man cannot grow hair by getting excited about it REPUBLIC OF CONGO 16 The more you stroke a cat, the more it lifts its tail ESTONIA 17 A rolling stone gathers no moss ENGLAND 18 A stationary stone gathers moss RUSSIA 8 ONE ALONE 1 One dog can’t fight IRELAND 2 Once is no custom NETHERLANDS 3 The wise person is cheated only once FINLAND 4 No stone ever falls alone BELGIUM 5 In every family’s cooking-pot is one black spot CHINA 6 We boil our rice only once INDIA 7 Who hears but one bell hears but one sound FRANCE 8 Who hears music feels his solitude FRANCE 9 Solitude is full of God SERBIA 10 Hit one ring and the whole chain will resound SOUTH AFRICA 11 One link broken, the whole chain is broken GERMANY 12 One spot spots the whole dress BELGIUM 13 One bad pipe ruins the entire organ NETHERLANDS 14 One rotten egg spoils the whole pudding GERMANY 15 One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel ENGLAND 16 The eyes have one language everywhere ENGLAND 17 Heroism consists in hanging on one minute longer NORWAY 18 Rather once cry your heart out than always sigh CHINA 19 The person who steals once is always a thief SPAIN 20 Between two points one cannot draw more than one straight line DENMARK 21 Empty gossip jumps with one leg ESTONIA 22 It is better to be once in the church sleigh than always in the back runners FINLAND 23 Those who have only one bow should be content with one fiddle GERMANY 24 One bell serves a parish ITALY 25 A single bracelet doesn’t jingle GUINEA 26 Those who have once had luck cannot always call themselves unlucky BELGIUM 27 A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother SIERRA LEONE 28 One thread for the needle, one love for the heart SUDAN 29 Once a crook, always a crook USA 30 Beware the man with only one gun USA 31 When a single hair has fallen from your head, you are not yet bald SIERRA LEONE 32 A fox knows much; a hedgehog one great thing GREECE 33 Never less alone than when alone LATIN 34 If you play alone, you will win SYRIA 9 ONE OF TWO 1 One hand washes the other; both hands wash the face ALBANIA 2 If a string has one end, then it has another end CHINA 3 If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily CHINA 4 Never try to catch two frogs with one hand CHINA 5 You cannot hold two water melons in one hand IRAN 6 The story is only half told when one side tells it ICELAND 7 When two ride on one horse, one must sit behind ENGLAND 8 Too many affairs are like pumpkins in water; one pops up while you try to hold down the other CHINA 9 One family builds the wall; two families enjoy it CHINA 10 One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade CHINA 11 One foot is better than two stilts FRANCE 12 Both legs in the stocks or only one is all the same GERMANY 13 In one stable there may be a steed and an ass BELGIUM 14 A lie stands upon one leg, but truth upon two ENGLAND 15 When one door shuts, another opens SCOTLAND 16 To learn costs you one effort, to unlearn, two BULGARIA 17 One beetle knows another IRELAND 18 If two people tell you you are blind, shut one eye GEORGIA 19 You cannot take one part of a fowl for cooking and leave the other part to lay eggs INDIA 20 One hand can’t tie a bundle LIBERIA 21 Justice becomes injustice when it makes two wounds on a head which only deserves one REPUBLIC OF CONGO 22 Those who have two garments do not wear one only ZANZIBAR 23 Two crocodiles don’t live in one pond GAMBIA 24 You can’t dance at two weddings with one pair of feet USA 25 When you pick up a stick at one end, you also pick up the other end USA 26 Two heads are better than one ENGLAND 27 Better ask twice than go wrong once GERMANY 28 Once bitten, twice shy ENGLAND 29 Measure twice, cut once SLOVAKIA 30 Those who cheat me once, shame fall them; those who cheat me twice, shame fall me SCOTLAND 31 Someone with a watch knows what time it is; someone with two watches is never sure FRANCESee also: 12 TWO – TWICE – BOTH (#ulink_d6f39ec7-fd1b-5119-a731-634561d54106) 10 ONE OF SEVERAL 1 Rain does not fall only on one roof CAMEROON 2 Better one living word than a hundred dead ones GERMANY 3 A hat is not made for one shower ENGLAND 4 Before going to war say one prayer; before going to sea, two; before getting married, three POLAND 5 The spider does not weave its web for one fly SLOVENIA 6 The sea is made bigger even by one drop RUSSIA 7 One buffalo brings mud and all the herd are smeared with it MALAYSIA 8 If one finger is gashed, all the fingers are covered with blood REPUBLIC OF CONGO 9 A basket-maker who makes one basket makes a hundred BRAZIL 10 It’s a poor mouse that has but one hole NETHERLANDS 11 An elephant does not die from one broken rib KENYA 12 Don’t tell all of your jokes on one program USA 13 One bird in the dish is better than a hundred in the air GERMANY 14 If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want a hundred years of prosperity, grow people CHINA 15 Life is just one damned thing after another USA 16 One accident is one too many CANADA 17 One loose pebble can start a landslide USA 18 One broken rail will wreck a train USA 19 Don’t keep all your tongs in one fire CANADA 20 Don’t put all your eggs in one basket ENGLAND 21 There are more ways than one to kill a cat ENGLAND 22 A cloth is not woven from a single thread CHINA 23 One servant is a servant; two servants are half a servant; three servants are no servant at all POLAND 24 It takes a whole village to raise one child NIGERIA 25 One actor cannot make a play USA 26 Where water has once flowed it will flow again MONTENEGRO 27 Troubles never come singly ENGLAND 11 ACCOMPANIMENT 1 When you have no companion, consult your walking-stick ALBANIA 2 Misery loves company ENGLAND 3 Two’s company; three’s a crowd ENGLAND 4 When a blind person carries the banner, woe to those who follow FRANCE 5 Where the needle goes the thread must follow POLAND 6 Pull the ear, the head follows BANGLADESH 7 When one sheep is over the dam, the rest will follow NETHERLANDS 8 Every flood will have an ebb SCOTLAND 9 Who has God for his friend has all the saints in his pocket ITALY 10 The reverse side has its reverse side JAPAN 11 Adam must have an Eve, to blame for his own faults GERMANY 12 A misty morning may have a fine day ENGLAND 13 A pessimist is a person who has lived with an optimist USA 14 Follow the river and you will reach the sea FRANCE 15 Beware of a person’s shadow and a bee’s sting MYANMAR 16 Nobody can rest in their own shadow HUNGARY 17 A shadow is a feeble thing but no sun can drive it away SWEDEN 18 A road has no shadow SENEGAL 19 Even a hair has a shadow CZECH REPUBLIC 20 Two things make one either greater or smaller, praise and shadows GERMANY 21 Every Sunday brings a week with it SCOTLAND 22 The one who has taken the bear into the boat must cross over with him SWEDEN 12 TWO – TWICE – BOTH 1 The one who seeks revenge should remember to dig two graves CHINA 2 It’s the tortoise that discounts the value of a pair of fast legs JAPAN2 GROUPS OF THREE (#ulink_dc4900e2-e34a-5598-8b5e-0e20619d6b71)A long-standing rhetorical tradition – found for example in the language of the Bible – presents warnings in groups of three. Proverbs often display the same rhetoric, beginning with an emphatic ‘Three things / kinds …’. They are not common in native English proverbs, but they are popular in some other parts of Europe, notably Germany.Three kinds of men fail to understand women – young men, old men, and middle-aged men.Three sorts of people are always to be found, soldiers, professors, and women.Occasionally, a fourth factor is introduced:Three glasses of wine drive away the evil spirits, but with the fourth they return. 3 It is hard to swim between two stretches of bad water NETHERLANDS 4 To build, one must have two purses BELGIUM 5 It takes two blows to make a battle ENGLAND 6 Go fishing for three days and dry the nets for two CHINA 7 Every mile is two in winter ENGLAND 8 There’s a puddle at every door, and before some doors there are two SCOTLAND 9 Two happy days are seldom brothers BULGARIA 10 If you try to sit on two chairs, you’ll sit on the floor USA 11 ‘Virtue in the middle,’ said the devil as he sat between two lawyers NORWAY 12 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush ENGLAND 13 One servant is a servant; two servants are half a servant; three servants are no servant at all POLAND 14 Every road has two directions UKRAINE 15 Two barrels of tears will not heal a bruise CHINA 16 Between two points one cannot draw more than one straight line DENMARK 17 Two things make one either greater or smaller, praise and shadows GERMANY 18 Three are too many and two are too few BELGIUM 19 There must be a valley between two hills GERMANY 20 Everything has two handles GREECE 21 It takes two hands to clap INDIA 22 The basket that has two handles can be carried by two EGYPT 23 Two pieces of meat confuse the mind of the fly NIGERIA 24 A bull does not enjoy fame in two herds ZAMBIA 25 When two elephants struggle, it is the grass that suffers ZANZIBAR 26 A loaded gun frightens one; an unloaded one two MONTENEGRO 27 Take a second look; it costs you nothing CHINA 28 It takes two to make a quarrel ENGLAND 29 Two’s company; three’s a crowd ENGLAND 30 You cannot jump over two ditches at the same time NETHERLANDS 31 Before going to war say one prayer; before going to sea, two; before getting married, three POLAND 32 A small bed will not hold two persons NIGERIA 33 No one can paddle two canoes at the same time SOUTH AFRICA 34 The only insurance against fire is to have two houses NIGERIA 35 A needle cannot hold two threads or a mind two thoughts ETHIOPIA 36 The one who hunts two rats will catch neither UGANDA 37 The one who hunts two hares will catch neither FRANCE 38 A dollar in the bank is worth two in the hand USA 39 Two swords cannot be kept in one sheath INDIA 40 Two wrongs do not make a right ENGLAND 41 The second word makes the fray JAPAN 42 The first blow does not hurt like the second ZANZIBAR 43 To read a book for the first time is to make the acquaintance of a new friend; to read it a second time is to meet an old one CHINA 44 A fault denied is twice committed FRANCE 45 Who lends to a friend loses twice FRANCE 46 The one who strikes first, strikes twice BELGIUM 47 Those who see the wolf shout; those who see it not, shout twice BULGARIA 48 A good song can be sung twice ESTONIA 49 Those who stumble twice over the same stone are fools LATIN 50 Under trees it rains twice SWITZERLAND 51 They give twice who give quickly TURKEY 52 Dawn does not come twice to wake us SOUTH AFRICA 53 Those who cut their own firewood have it warm them twice USA 54 Don’t chew your tobacco twice USA 55 Lightning never strikes twice in the same place ENGLAND 56 You can’t expect both ends of a sugar cane to be as sweet CHINA 57 The water is the same on both sides of the boat FINLAND 58 It’s a poor rule that doesn’t work both ways ENGLAND 59 The sun shines on both sides of the hedge ENGLAND 60 No needle is sharp at both ends CHINA 61 You can’t look into a bottle with both eyes TOGO 62 A canoe is paddled on both sides NIGERIA 63 Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet NAMIBIA 64 Don’t burn your candle at both ends ENGLAND 65 The rat has a double stomach NEW ZEALANDSee also: 9 ONE OF TWO (#ulink_c40f69ca-8840-5572-acc4-65c8a04f5c02) 13 THREE – THIRD 1 A sly rabbit will have three openings to its den CHINA 2 A guest and a fish after three days are poison FRANCE 3 Three glasses of wine drive away the evil spirits, but with the fourth they return GERMANY 4 Three are too many and two are too few BELGIUM 5 Every word has three explanations and three interpretations IRELAND 6 Three kinds of men fail to understand women – young men, old men, and middle-aged men IRELAND 7 If they do not open after three knocks, do not wait POLAND 8 After three days without reading, talk becomes flavourless CHINA 9 One servant is a servant; two servants are half a servant; three servants are no servant at all POLAND 10 Three brothers, three fortresses PORTUGAL 11 Three sorts of people are always to be found, soldiers, professors, and women GERMANY 12 Go fishing for three days and dry the nets for two CHINA 13 Let the guests at table be three or four – at the most five GREECE 14 God preserve us from pitch-forks, for they make three holes SWITZERLAND 15 Before marrying live wildly for three years POLAND 16 A kind word warms for three winters CHINA 17 The dog on three legs ain’t always lame USA 18 Two’s company; three’s a crowd ENGLAND 19 Before going to war say one prayer; before going to sea, two; before getting married, three POLAND 20 No doctor is better than three GERMANY 21 Transgressions should never be forgiven a third time CHINA 22 The third strand makes the cable NETHERLANDS 14 FOUR OR MORE 1 Those who can read and write have four eyes ALBANIA 2 Four horses cannot overtake the tongue CHINA 3 Let the guests at table be three or four – at the most five GREECE 4 Three glasses of wine drive away the evil spirits, but with the fourth they return GERMANY 5 A fifth wheel in the wagon hinders more than helps FRANCE 6 The one who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; the one who does not ask a question is a fool forever CHINA 7 If you want to be acquainted with the past and the present, you must read five cartloads of books CHINA 8 It is better to follow no saint than six INDIA 9 Poverty is the sixth sense GERMANY 10 Seven days is the length of a guest’s life MYANMAR 11 Turn your tongue seven times before speaking FRANCE 12 For the diligent, a week has seven days; for the slothful, seven tomorrows GERMANY 13 Fall down seven times, get up eight JAPAN 14 A stitch in time saves nine ENGLAND 15 If bravery is ten, nine is strategy TURKEY 16 A smile will gain you ten more years of life CHINA 17 Those who have to go ten miles must regard nine as only halfway GERMANY 18 Among the ten fingers there are long and short CHINA 19 Truth is greater than ten goats NIGERIA 20 If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want a hundred years of prosperity, grow people CHINA 21 Eleven don’t make a dozen USA 22 The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now CHINA 23 Of all the thirty-six alternatives, running away is the best CHINA 24 Misfortunes come by forties WALES 25 Gossip lasts but seventy-five days JAPAN 26 One can study calligraphy at eighty JAPAN 27 Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration USA 28 Better one living word than a hundred dead ones GERMANY 29 A bad word whispered will echo a hundred miles CHINA 30 One bird in the dish is better than a hundred in the air GERMANY 31 A basket-maker who makes one basket makes a hundred BRAZIL 32 A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother SIERRA LEONE 33 A hundred men may make an encampment, but it needs a woman to make a home CHINA 34 A worn-out boat still has three thousand nails in it CHINA 35 A good child has several names ESTONIA 36 Beware of the door which has several keys INDIA 15 NEXT TO NOTHING 1 Take a second look; it costs you nothing CHINA 2 Little said is easy mended; nothing said needs no mending IRELAND 3 Nothing should be done in a hurry except catching fleas GERMANY 4 Nothing enters into a closed hand SCOTLAND 5 Nothing dries sooner than a tear LATIN 6 Nothing kills like doing nothing DENMARK 7 Nothing venture, nothing gain ENGLAND 8 When the sun shines the moon has nothing to do FRANCE 9 Those who are silent do not say nothing SPAIN 10 When in doubt, do nothing ENGLAND 11 Someone who stands behind a wall can see nothing else JAPAN 12 What costs nothing is worth nothing NETHERLANDS 13 One servant is a servant; two servants are half a servant; three servants are no servant at all POLAND 14 The one who hunts two rats will catch neither UGANDA 15 The one who hunts two hares will catch neither FRANCE 16 Who does not understand half a word will not be wiser for a whole word FINLAND 17 Half a loaf is better than no bread ENGLAND 16 MULTITUDE 1 A reasonable amount of fleas is good for a dog; they keep him from broodin’ on being a dog USA 2 When rats infest the palace a lame cat is better than the swiftest horse CHINA 3 Many donkeys need much straw SPAIN: BASQUE 4 You are as many a person as languages you know ARMENIA 5 Many books do not use up words; many words do not use up thoughts CHINA 6 Too many affairs are like pumpkins in water; one pops up while you try to hold down the other CHINA 7 Three are too many and two are too few BELGIUM 8 Many kiss the child for the nurse’s sake ENGLAND 9 Many lose when they win, and others win when they lose GERMANY 10 One may as well lose the game by a card too much as a card too few SPAIN 11 Much treasure, many moths ESTONIA 12 The frightened person has many voices FINLAND 13 Many speak a word which if it were a florin they would put back in their purse GERMANY 14 If pride were an art, how many graduates we should have ITALY 15 Those who read many epitaphs, lose their memory LATIN 16 Many a true word is spoken in jest ENGLAND 17 The rose that is smelt by many loses its fragrance SPAIN 18 There are many paths to the top of the mountain – but the view is always the same CHINA 19 On a green tree there are many parrots INDIA 20 Many have bees and buy wax GERMANY 21 Many drops make a puddle NETHERLANDS 22 Too many cooks spoil the broth ENGLAND 23 Too many cooks oversalt the porridge NETHERLANDS 24 Too many hands spoil the pie USA 25 There’s many a slip between cup and lip ENGLAND 26 Words will pay for most things SPAIN 27 Goods held in common mostly get lost GERMANY 28 Charity covers a multitude of sins ENGLAND 29 Numerous calls confuse the dog TANZANIA 30 Small cares make many words, great ones are mute GERMANY 31 Gossips always suspect that others are talking about them NIGERIA 32 When people praise, few believe it, but when they blame, all believe it BELGIUM 17 BETTER – WORSE 1 If he calls it a silly and childish game, that means his wife can beat him at it USA 2 ’Tis a good word that can better a good silence NETHERLANDS 3 Beyond black there is no colour IRAN 4 There is always a boss above the boss NETHERLANDS 5 Great minds think alike ENGLAND 6 They are truly superior who can look upon a game of chess in silence CHINA 7 Good painters need not give a name to their pictures; bad ones must POLAND 8 If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em USA 9 The more servants, the worse service NETHERLANDS 10 Good things sell themselves; bad things have to be advertised ETHIOPIA 11 Good is good, but better is better NETHERLANDS 12 Mediocrity is climbing molehills without sweating ICELAND 13 There is no such thing as a pretty good omelette FRANCE 14 One bad pipe ruins the entire organ NETHERLANDS 15 There are dregs in the best bottle of wine FRANCE 16 Count not what is lost but what is left CHINA 17 When one sheep is over the dam, the rest will follow NETHERLANDS 18 Pretty near ain’t quite USA 19 One rotten egg spoils the whole pudding GERMANY 20 One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel ENGLAND 21 Rotten wood cannot be carved CHINA 22 ‘If I rest, I rust’, says the key GERMANY 23 The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now CHINA 18 UNITING 1 Those who mix themselves with the mud will be eaten by the swine NETHERLANDS 2 If you get mixed with bran, you’ll soon be pecked by chickens LIBYA 3 Tangled hair needs a wide comb SERBIA 4 When the hands and the feet are bound, the tongue runs faster GERMANY 5 Oil and water will not mix ENGLAND 6 Drinking and thinking don’t mix USA 7 An ox is bound with ropes and a person with words ITALY 8 Slices of bread do not grow together ESTONIA 9 The thinnest bread finds itself married to bread ALGERIA 10 Straps come from the same leather ARGENTINA 11 A gummed thing soon ungums JAPAN 12 When walking through your neighbour’s melon-patch, don’t tie your shoe CHINA 13 Too much tying loosens SYRIA 14 The string of our sack of patience is generally tied with a slip knot JAPAN 15 One hand can’t tie a bundle LIBERIA 16 You cannot tie up another’s wound while your own is still bleeding ESTONIA 17 Everyone buckles their belt their own way SCOTLAND 18 One missing button strikes the eye more than one missing day ESTONIA 19 Coupled sheep drown each other NETHERLANDS 20 A feather does not stick without gum AFGHANISTAN 21 Sweat makes good mortar GERMANY 22 A stitch in time saves nine ENGLAND 23 Kick an attorney downstairs and he’ll stick to you for life SCOTLAND 24 There is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers ENGLAND 25 The postage stamp’s usefulness lies in the ability to stick USA 26 Let the cobbler stick to his last ENGLAND 19 SEPARATING 1 One link broken, the whole chain is broken GERMANY 2 United we stand; divided we fall USA 3 The tighter the string, the sooner it will break WALES 4 The one on whose head we would break a coconut never stands still NIGERIA 5 Courteous asking breaks even city walls UKRAINE 6 Luck and glass soon break GERMANY 7 When you give a child a nut, give it also something to break it with GEORGIA 8 You do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ice breaks ICELAND 9 Fortune is glass; just when it is bright it is broken LATIN 10 Carrying-poles which bend easily do not break CHINA 11 Every plate that is made breaks AFGHANISTAN 12 If you are building a house and a nail breaks, do you stop building or do you change the nail? RWANDA AND BURUNDI 13 A broken glass can’t be hurt ENGLAND 14 All’s lost that’s put in a broken dish SCOTLAND 15 One broken rail will wreck a train USA 16 Where the drum is burst is the place to mend it REPUBLIC OF CONGO 17 A basket with its bottom burst is useless NIGERIA 18 What is inflated too much will burst into fragments ETHIOPIA 19 In the choicest vase are found the ugliest cracks CHINA 20 If you pick the fluff from a blanket it comes to pieces INDIA 21 Flies never visit an egg that has no crack CHINA 22 Cut bread cannot be put together again LATVIA 23 It is easy to steal from a cut loaf ENGLAND 24 Those who cannot cut the bread evenly cannot get on well with people CZECH REPUBLIC 25 Dull scissors can’t cut straight USA 26 Measure twice, cut once SLOVAKIA 27 The axe forgets, but the cut log does not ZIMBABWE 28 Those who cut their own firewood have it warm them twice USA 29 There is always something to be cut off young trees if they are to grow well GERMANY 30 Everyone must skin their own skunk USA 31 You cannot take one part of a fowl for cooking and leave the other part to lay eggs INDIA 32 A fool and his money are soon parted ENGLAND 33 The end of separation is meeting again TURKEY 34 One loose pebble can start a landslide USA 35 A smooth way makes the foot slip ESTONIA 36 Don’t look where you fell, but where you slipped LIBERIA 37 When a single hair has fallen from your head, you are not yet bald SIERRA LEONE 38 An egg on bread is slippery SCOTLAND 39 No matter how you slice it, it’s still baloney USA 20 CHAIN – ROPE – STRING 1 Hit one ring and the whole chain will resound SOUTH AFRICA 2 A chain is as strong as its weakest link ENGLAND 3 One link broken, the whole chain is broken GERMANY 4 Pull gently at a weak rope NETHERLANDS 5 An ox is bound with ropes and a person with words ITALY 6 Men hold the buffalo by its rope, a ruler by his word INDONESIA 7 If a string has one end, then it has another end CHINA 8 The string of our sack of patience is generally tied with a slip knot JAPAN 9 If the string is long the kite will fly high CHINA 10 The tighter the string, the sooner it will break WALES 11 There is bound to be a knot in a very long string KENYA 21 WHOLE – PART 1 One rotten egg spoils the whole pudding GERMANY 2 One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel ENGLAND 3 One spot spots the whole dress BELGIUM 4 Those who seek the entrance should also think of the exit GERMANY 5 When luck offers a finger one must take the whole hand SWEDEN 6 Who does not understand half a word will not be wiser for a whole word FINLAND 7 Every art requires the whole person FRANCE 8 One link broken, the whole chain is broken GERMANY 9 One needn’t devour the whole chicken to know the flavour of the bird CHINA 10 Hit one ring and the whole chain will resound SOUTH AFRICA 11 Better lose the anchor than the whole ship NETHERLANDS 12 It is better to be entirely without a book than to believe it entirely CHINA 13 One bad pipe ruins the entire organ NETHERLANDS 14 You cannot take one part of a fowl for cooking and leave the other part to lay eggs INDIA 15 The first thread is not part of the yarn IRELAND 16 Discretion is the better part of valour ENGLAND 17 To get out a rusty nail you must take away a piece of the wall MALTA 18 What is inflated too much will burst into fragments ETHIOPIA 19 The town that parleys is half surrendered FRANCE 20 The story is only half told when one side tells it ICELAND 21 Chop, and you will have splinters DENMARK 22 For the diligent, a week has seven days; for the slothful, seven tomorrows GERMANY 23 If a string has one end, then it has another end CHINA 22 FULL – ENTIRE 1 A coconut shell full of water is a sea to an ant ZANZIBAR 2 The hollow of the ear is never full SENEGAL 3 Full of courtesy, full of craft ENGLAND 4 Solitude is full of God SERBIA 5 No matter how full the river, it still wants to grow REPUBLIC OF CONGO 6 The fuller the cask, the duller its sound GERMANY 7 The fuller the cup, the sooner the spill CHINA 8 A full cup must be carried steadily ENGLAND 9 The fish said, ‘I have much to say, but my mouth is full of water.’ GEORGIA 10 Idle curiosity sometimes fills the mousetrap NETHERLANDS 11 To fill a ditch a mound must come down ARMENIA 12 While it rains, fill the jar TURKEY 13 Do not fill your basket with useless shells of coconuts KENYA3 PROVERBS IN SHAKESPEARE (#ulink_b6ccbffe-d740-5e7a-81bf-ffdb98095dca)There are a large number of proverbial expressions in Shakespeare – which is hardly surprising, given the important role played by proverbs in Elizabethan schools (#litres_trial_promo).Many are traditional proverbs, sometimes acknowledged to be so. John Hume, in Henry VI Part Two (I.ii.100) reflects:They say ‘A crafty knave does need no broker’ and in The Comedy of Errors (II.ii.45) Dromio of Syracuse comments:they say every why hath a wherefore.‘They say’. This is tradition, not Shakespeare, talking. And Shakespeare explicitly refers to ‘proverbs (#litres_trial_promo)’ on a number of occasions.On the other hand, many of the proverbs in Shakespeare are rephrasings, often adapted to suit the metrical demands of a poetic line. Hume’s reference is a case in point, for the traditional expression is ‘A crafty knave needs no broker’. Proverbial allusions may also reflect the personality of a character. ‘Comparisons are odorous’, says Dogberry malapropistically (in Much Ado About Nothing, III.v.15).Some are original to Shakespeare: thanks to Polonius, for example, we have ‘Neither a borrower nor a lender be’ (Hamlet, I.iii.75) and ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’ (Hamlet, II.ii.90). Here, as elsewhere, there is a thin line between a quotation and a proverb. Is ‘All the world’s a stage’ (As You Like It, II.vii.140) proverbial?A small selection …Care’s an enemy to life (Twelfth Night, I.iii.2)Sweet are the uses of adversity (As You Like It, II.i.12)A rose by any other name would smell as sweet (Romeo and Juliet, II.ii.43)A fool’s bolt is soon shot (Henry V, III.vii.119)There’s small choice in rotten apples (The Taming of the Shrew, I.i.132)All that glisters is not gold (The Merchant of Venice, II.vii.65)Talkers are no good doers (Richard III, I.iii.350)Blunt wedges rive hard knots (Troilus and Cressida, I.iii.316)Good counsellors lack no clients (Measure for Measure, I.ii.106)He that dies pays all debts (The Tempest, III.ii.132)The better part of valour is discretion (Henry IV Part One, V.iv.118)Pitchers have ears (Richard III, II.iv.37)Every cloud engenders not a storm (Henry VI Part Three, V.iii.13)Give the devil his due (Henry IV Part One, I.ii.118)A light heart lives long (Love’s Labour’s Lost, V.ii.18)All hoods make not monks (Henry VIII, III.i.23)There is no virtue like necessity (Richard II, I.iii.278)Better three hours too soon than a minute too late (The Merry Wives of Windsor, II.ii.296)Sad hours seem long (Romeo and Juliet, I.i.161)SEE ALSO ‘Proverbs’ in Shakespeare 14 The laden almond-tree by the wayside is sure to be bitter JAPAN 15 Eleven don’t make a dozen USA 16 One actor cannot make a play USA 17 There is no hill without a slope WALES 18 It takes a whole village to raise one child NIGERIA 19 Add legs to the snake after you have finished drawing it CHINA 20 How can there be a forest without a crooked tree? BULGARIA 21 There is no bridge without a place the other side of it WALES 22 You may light another’s candle at your own without loss DENMARK 23 EMPTY – LACKING 1 The empty nut is the hardest WALES 2 The bell is loud because it is empty POLAND 3 An empty bag cannot stand upright ENGLAND 4 An empty sack can’t stand, nor a dead cat walk IRELAND 5 Beauty is an empty calabash CAMEROON 6 Empty barns need no thatch ENGLAND 7 A full cabin is better than an empty castle IRELAND 8 One missing button strikes the eye more than one missing day ESTONIA 9 The best neighbors are vacant lots USA 10 It is better to be entirely without a book than to believe it entirely CHINA 11 Someone without a friend is like the right hand without the left BELGIUM 12 No land without stones, or meat without bones ENGLAND 13 God, what things we see when we go out without a gun! SOUTH AFRICA 14 One should not board a ship without an onion NETHERLANDS 15 Life without literature is death LATIN 16 Walls hear without warnings ENGLAND 17 Why should someone without a head want a hat? CHILE 18 Without fingers the hand would be a spoon SENEGAL 19 A nation without a language is a nation without a heart WALES 20 Those who go to sea without biscuits return without teeth FRANCE: CORSICA 21 A sip at a time empties the cask NORWAY 22 A well without a bucket is no good USA 24 SEQUENCE – ORDER 1 Life is just one damned thing after another USA 2 A beautiful disorder is an effect of art FRANCE 3 Those who place their ladder too steeply will easily fall backwards CZECH REPUBLIC 4 A proverb places the words in one’s mouth SWITZERLAND 5 The greatest love is mother-love; after that comes a dog’s love; and after that the love of a sweetheart POLAND 6 If a string has one end, then it has another end CHINA 7 Eve is nearer to us than Adam SERBIA 8 Those who want the last drop out of the can get the lid on their nose NETHERLANDS 9 That which goes last into the sack comes out first SWEDEN 10 The game’s not over until the last man strikes out USA 11 Those who laugh last laugh loudest ENGLAND 12 It ain’t over till the fat lady sings USA 13 The loom that’s awry is best handled patiently SCOTLAND 14 What’s the good of a spoon after the meal is over? LATVIA 15 When the date-crop is over, everyone mocks at the palm-tree ETHIOPIA 16 Even a drill goes in from the tip KOREA 17 When you eat a round cake, do you begin at the centre? NIGERIA 18 You can only go halfway into the darkest forest; then you are coming out the other side CHINA 19 Those who have to go ten miles must regard nine as only halfway GERMANY 20 Those that begin the play must continue it TURKEY 21 Don’t start economizing when you are down to your last dollar USA 22 Don’t put the cart before the horse ENGLAND 25 ASSEMBLAGES 1 Birds of a feather flock together ENGLAND 2 Call out a name in a crowd and somebody is sure to answer CHINA 3 If you cross in a crowd, the crocodile won’t eat you MADAGASCAR 4 Two’s company; three’s a crowd ENGLAND 5 It don’t need a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep USA 6 A cask of wine works more miracles than a church full of saints ITALY 7 A young doctor makes a full graveyard CHINA 8 A full cabin is better than an empty castle IRELAND 9 The sweeter the perfume, the uglier the flies which gather round the bottle CHINA 10 One buffalo brings mud and all the herd are smeared with it MALAYSIA 11 A bull does not enjoy fame in two herds ZAMBIA 12 Goats cannot live in a herd of leopards MALI 13 If you get into the pack you need not bark, but wag your tail you must RUSSIA 14 Hit one ring and the whole chain will resound SOUTH AFRICA 15 One hand can’t tie a bundle LIBERIA 16 Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable KENYA 17 If we knew where we would fall, we would spread straw there first FINLAND 18 One sprinkles the most sugar where the tart is burnt NETHERLANDS 26 CONTENTS 1 Every raisin contains a pip LIBYA 2 Every train has a caboose USA 3 A shroud has no pockets SCOTLAND 4 Different holes have different fish MALAYSIA 5 Every cloud has a silver lining ENGLAND 6 Little houses have fat mice TANZANIA 7 The tongue has no bones, yet breaks its own skull ALBANIA 8 The basin must hold what the cauldron cooks ESTONIA 9 Even the bottom of a basket finds something to hold MADAGASCAR 10 A book holds a house of gold CHINA 11 Old sayings contain no lies SPAIN: BASQUE 12 Charity covers a multitude of sins ENGLAND 13 The house with an old grandparent harbours a jewel CHINA 14 It takes dough to have crust USA 15 No day so long but has its evening FRANCE 16 A worn-out boat still has three thousand nails in it CHINA 17 It is easy to hurt yourself on a stone that has sharp corners KOREA 18 Not every abyss has a parapet GERMANY 19 The basket that has two handles can be carried by two EGYPT 20 Every song has its end SLOVENIA 27 KINDS 1 A beautiful bird is the only kind we cage CHINA 2 Three kinds of men fail to understand women – young men, old men, and middle-aged men IRELAND 3 It isn’t every kind of wood that can make a whistle LATVIA 4 Not every sort of wood is fit to make an arrow FRANCE 5 Three sorts of people are always to be found, soldiers, professors, and women GERMANY 28 ALWAYS HAPPENING 1 There is always a boss above the boss NETHERLANDS 2 The cork is always bigger than the mouth of the bottle ESTONIA 3 The cobbler always wears the worst shoes FRANCE 4 Lovers have much to relate – but it is always the same thing GERMANY 5 Those who are in a hurry are always late GEORGIA 6 Gossips always suspect that others are talking about them NIGERIA 7 Those who are always nice are not always nice POLAND 8 In every house there are always cobwebs SERBIA 9 The person who steals once is always a thief SPAIN 10 Dead fish go always with the stream ENGLAND 11 There are many paths to the top of the mountain – but the view is always the same CHINA 12 Those who make the first bad move always lose the game JAPAN 13 Eating pears always cleans one’s teeth KOREA 14 If you look in a chief’s bag you will always find something UGANDA 15 When it rains, the roof always drips the same way LIBERIA 16 The crossroads always confuse the stranger NIGERIA 17 The used key is always bright ENGLAND 18 The absent always bear the blame NETHERLANDS 19 Ashes will always blow back into the face of the thrower NIGERIA 20 Three sorts of people are always to be found, soldiers, professors, and women GERMANY 21 The toughest broncs is always them you’ve rode some other place USA 22 The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence ENGLAND 23 Those in love always know the time GERMANY 24 Error is always in a hurry ENGLAND 25 The tongue always goes to the aching tooth BULGARIA 26 There is always something to be cut off young trees if they are to grow well GERMANY 27 Stars shine always in a clear sky ESTONIA 28 The other side of the road always looks cleanest ENGLAND 29 However long the procession, it always returns to the church PHILIPPINES 30 The string of our sack of patience is generally tied with a slip knot JAPAN 31 Abundance does not spread, famine does SOUTH AFRICA 32 Once a crook, always a crook USA 33 A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses CHINA 34 Those who have once had luck cannot always call themselves unlucky BELGIUM 35 Boldness, and again boldness, and always boldness FRANCE 36 Not even Apollo keeps his bow always at full stretch LATIN 37 A debt is always new ESTONIA 38 Be always a little afraid so that you never have need of being much afraid FINLAND 39 To always win brings suspicion, to always lose brings contempt GERMANY 40 Those who have lost their oxen are always hearing bells SPAIN 41 Rather once cry your heart out than always sigh CHINA 42 It is better to be once in the church sleigh than always in the back runners FINLAND 43 The world will not conquer him who is always rubbing his beard INDIA 29 CONFORMITY 1 Example is a great orator CZECH REPUBLIC 2 A white cloth and a stain never agree NIGERIA 3 Not every sort of wood is fit to make an arrow FRANCE 4 Donkey’s lips do not fit onto a horse’s mouth CHINA 5 If the cap fits, wear it ENGLAND 6 If the shoe fits, wear it ENGLAND 7 Words shake but examples attract SERBIA 8 Strange bread makes the cheeks red SWITZERLAND 9 It is not common for hens to have pillows SCOTLAND 30 REPETITION 1 Shut your door in such a way that you can open it again DENMARK 2 A whitewashed crow soon shows black again CHINA 3 No one can call again yesterday ENGLAND 4 Cut bread cannot be put together again LATVIA 5 Where water has once flowed it will flow again MONTENEGRO 6 As one calls in the wood, so comes the echo back again ESTONIA 7 Those who run away will fight again GREECE 8 The end of separation is meeting again TURKEY 9 Boldness, and again boldness, and always boldness FRANCE 10 By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree CAMEROON 11 Friends are lost by calling often and calling seldom SCOTLAND 12 The wise make proverbs but fools repeat them ENGLAND 31 TIME 1 There is time enough to yawn in the grave ESTONIA 2 A stitch in time saves nine ENGLAND 3 Truth is the daughter of time GERMANY 4 The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now CHINA 5 You cannot jump over two ditches at the same time NETHERLANDS 6 No one can blow and swallow at the same time GERMANY 7 It takes a long time to sharpen a hammer made of wood NETHERLANDS 8 Time heals all wounds ENGLAND 9 Seconds are the gold dust of time USA 10 Those who wait long at the ferry will get across some time SCOTLAND 11 Those who wait for roast duck to fly into their mouth must wait a very, very long time CHINA 12 Procrastination is the thief of time ENGLAND 13 What greater crime than loss of time? GERMANY4 COUNTRY VARIATIONS – CLIMATE (#ulink_a25bcee5-fa4b-5776-8938-260b9250ddc9)Some of the most noticeable contrasts between the proverbs of different countries relate to the differences in their climate and weather. References to the seasons are especially common.A padded jacket is an acceptable gift, even in summer (JAPAN)In December and January have mercy on the poor (LEBANON)Every mile is two in winter (ENGLAND)No more leaves can fall in autumn than were grown in spring (GERMANY)You do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ice breaks (ICELAND)The autumn chill is the first thing felt by a thin person (CHINA)After a typhoon there are pears to gather up (CHINA)SEE ALSO Country variations – artefacts; animals; plants; beliefs and behaviour 14 Time and tide wait for no one ENGLAND 15 Money cannot buy time CHINA 16 Time is anger’s medicine GERMANY 17 If they do not open after three knocks, do not wait POLAND 18 Make hay while the sun shines ENGLAND 19 Time to catch bears is when they’re out USA 20 One should not ask the time of a rusty clock NETHERLANDS 21 Those in love always know the time GERMANY 22 Someone with a watch knows what time it is; someone with two watches is never sure FRANCE 32 YEARS – SEASONS – MONTHS – WEEKS 1 A weasel comes to say Happy New Year to the chickens CHINA 2 Errands are small on a spring day ICELAND 3 A padded jacket is an acceptable gift, even in summer JAPAN 4 One swallow does not make a summer ENGLAND 5 The autumn chill is the first thing felt by a thin person CHINA 6 No more leaves can fall in autumn than were grown in spring GERMANY 7 Every mile is two in winter ENGLAND 8 A kind word warms for three winters CHINA 9 In December and January have mercy on the poor LEBANON 10 No annual fair without a thief NETHERLANDS 11 An hour of play discovers more than a year of conversation PORTUGAL 12 If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want a hundred years of prosperity, grow people CHINA 13 A smile will gain you ten more years of life CHINA 14 The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now CHINA 15 Before marrying live wildly for three years POLAND 16 A dog last year is a dog this year SERBIA 17 A day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy CHINA 18 For the diligent, a week has seven days; for the slothful, seven tomorrows GERMANY 19 Seven days is the length of a guest’s life MYANMAR 20 Those who lose Monday lose all the week GEORGIA 21 Every Sunday brings a week with it SCOTLAND 33 DAYS – NIGHTS 1 Every day cannot be a feast of lanterns CHINA 2 An apple a day keeps the doctor away ENGLAND 3 A hug a day keeps the demons at bay GERMANY 4 Errands are small on a spring day ICELAND 5 A good day is that in which to lay by cold porridge MALAWI 6 Another day, another dollar USA 7 The better the day, the better the deed ENGLAND 8 Those who lose Monday lose all the week GEORGIA 9 Those who spend a night with a chicken will cackle in the morning TUNISIA 10 Sunday plans never stand CANADA 11 Every Sunday brings a week with it SCOTLAND 12 The absent get farther off every day JAPAN 13 After three days without reading, talk becomes flavourless CHINA 14 Seven days is the length of a guest’s life MYANMAR 15 A guest and a fish after three days are poison FRANCE 16 A day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy CHINA 17 Every dog has its day ENGLAND 18 Every day is not Friday; there is also Thursday USA 19 Friday begun, never done USA 20 Who teaches me for a day is my father for a lifetime CHINA 21 For the diligent, a week has seven days; for the slothful, seven tomorrows GERMANY 22 Go fishing for three days and dry the nets for two CHINA 23 Two happy days are seldom brothers BULGARIA 24 One missing button strikes the eye more than one missing day ESTONIA 25 There are more days than sausage USA 26 The most wasted of all days is the day when we have not laughed FRANCE 27 The night washes what the day has soaped SWITZERLAND 28 Gossip lasts but seventy-five days JAPAN 29 Rome was not built in a day ENGLAND 30 Birds hear talk in daytime, rats hear talk at night KOREA 31 Old countries don’t disappear overnight; they stay for breakfast EGYPT 32 Have patience, fleas, the night is long NICARAGUA 34 MORNINGS – AFTERNOONS – EVENINGS 1 Dawn does not come twice to wake us SOUTH AFRICA 2 The darkest hour is just before the dawn ENGLAND 3 We can never see the sun rise by looking into the west JAPAN 4 A misty morning may have a fine day ENGLAND 5 The morning is the mother of trades and the evening the mother of thoughts ITALY 6 Those who spend a night with a chicken will cackle in the morning TUNISIA 7 The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected SWEDEN 8 No day so long but has its evening FRANCE 9 The evening crowns the day SWEDEN 10 A clear conscience never fears midnight knocking CHINA 11 It cannot be later than midnight MYANMAR 12 An apple at night puts the dentist to flight ENGLAND 13 The later in the evening, the nicer the people NETHERLANDS 14 Even the moon does not shine before it rises FINLAND 35 HOURS – MINUTES – SECONDS 1 Many people are like clocks, they show one hour and strike another DENMARK 2 The one who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; the one who does not ask a question is a fool forever CHINA 3 Heroism consists in hanging on one minute longer NORWAY 4 There’s one born every minute USA 5 Where the minute-hand suffices the hour-hand is not needed NETHERLANDS 6 Seconds are the gold dust of time USA 7 God works in moments FRANCE 8 God listens to short prayers ITALY 36 LONG TIME 1 Who teaches me for a day is my father for a lifetime CHINA 2 As long as life lasts, the cow never stops moving its tail NIGERIA 3 Gossip lasts but seventy-five days JAPAN 4 It takes a long time to sharpen a hammer made of wood NETHERLANDS 5 If the bucket has been long in the well, it ought to come out with water NIGERIA 6 No matter how long a log floats on the river it will never be a crocodile MALI 7 A day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy CHINA 8 The longest chant has an end SCOTLAND 9 If you follow a crow long enough you light on carrion ALBANIA 10 An apothecary ought not to be long a cuckold FRANCE 11 The one who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; the one who does not ask a question is a fool forever CHINA 12 No day so long but has its evening FRANCE 13 Longest at the fire soonest finds cold SCOTLAND 14 Heroism consists in hanging on one minute longer NORWAY 15 One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade CHINA 16 The rod that will hang him is still growing IRELAND 17 Who goes around the village long enough will get either a dog-bite or a dinner SERBIA 18 It is the prudent hyena that lives long ZAMBIA 19 Those who wait long at the ferry will get across some time SCOTLAND 20 Those who wait for roast duck to fly into their mouth must wait a very, very long time CHINA 21 Creaking wagons are long in passing NETHERLANDS 22 Want a thing long enough, and you don’t CHINA 37 NEVER 1 Sunday plans never stand CANADA 2 Driftwood never goes upstream USA 3 An elephant never forgets ENGLAND 4 Friday begun, never done USA 5 Better late than never ENGLAND 6 Tomorrow never comes ENGLAND 38 CLOCKS – WATCHES 1 Many people are like clocks, they show one hour and strike another DENMARK 2 One should not ask the time of a rusty clock NETHERLANDS 3 If it were not for the hands the clock would be useless POLAND 4 The clock must be the master in the house SWEDEN 5 The clock ticks nowhere as it ticks at home NETHERLANDS 6 Someone with a watch knows what time it is; someone with two watches is never sure FRANCE 39 BEGINNINGS – ENDINGS 1 Communities begin by building their kitchen FRANCE 2 Those who sing worst, let them begin first ENGLAND 3 Those that begin the play must continue it TURKEY 4 When you eat a round cake, do you begin at the centre? NIGERIA 5 When an old barn begins to burn, it is hard to put out NETHERLANDS 6 Friday begun, never done USA 7 Sooner begun, sooner done ENGLAND 8 Charity begins at home ENGLAND 9 The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names CHINA 10 Applause is the beginning of abuse JAPAN 11 In eating and scratching, everything is in the beginning COLOMBIA 12 Fish begin to stink from the head ALBANIA 13 If you know the beginning well, the end will not trouble you SENEGAL 14 Meeting is the beginning of parting JAPAN 15 It is the first shower that wets ITALY 16 To read a book for the first time is to make the acquaintance of a new friend; to read it a second time is to meet an old one CHINA 17 Those who make the first bad move always lose the game JAPAN 18 The first blow does not hurt like the second ZANZIBAR 19 The autumn chill is the first thing felt by a thin person CHINA 20 If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging USA 21 It is only the first bottle that is dear FRANCE 22 The first stage of folly is to consider oneself wise BELGIUM 23 Ideas start with ‘I’ USA 24 The first thread is not part of the yarn IRELAND 25 If you want an audience, start a fight CHINA 26 One loose pebble can start a landslide USA 27 When you sweep the stairs, you start at the top GERMANY 28 It is not enough to run; one must start in time FRANCE 29 When the fox starts preaching, look to the hens SPAIN: BASQUE 30 When one starts the song too high it isn’t finished GERMANY 31 Don’t start economizing when you are down to your last dollar USA 32 New officials introduce strict measures CHINA 33 Every cackling hen was an egg at first RWANDA AND BURUNDI 34 Your liberty ends where my nose begins USA 40 BEFOREHAND 1 Never say ‘whoopee’ before you jump CANADA 2 Before you go, think of your return BELGIUM 3 Honour physicians before you have need of them ENGLAND 4 The face came before the photograph USA 5 The fruit must have a stem before it grows LIBERIA 6 Open your mouth before you eat MAURITANIA 7 Don’t holler before you’re hurt USA 8 Don’t get off the merry-go-round before it stops USA 9 Don’t get on the streetcar before it stops CANADA 10 Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched ENGLAND 11 A skunk smells its own hole first USA 12 You have to learn to crawl before you can walk ENGLAND 13 Fingers were made before forks ENGLAND 14 Even the moon does not shine before it rises FINLAND 15 Those who have free seats at a play hiss first CHINA 16 The darkest hour is just before the dawn ENGLAND 17 The one who strikes first, strikes twice BELGIUM 18 Don’t take the antidote before the poison LATIN 19 Don’t shout before the birch-rod falls LATVIA 20 Look before you leap ENGLAND 21 Before marrying live wildly for three years POLAND 22 Before going to war say one prayer; before going to sea, two; before getting married, three POLAND 23 All things are difficult before they are easy SPAIN 24 Pride goes before a fall ENGLAND 25 You have no wisdom if you go to sleep before you make your bed UGANDA 26 First lay the egg, then cackle ESTONIA 27 That which you would say to another, say to yourself first ESTONIA 28 People are not trodden on unless they lie down first GERMANY 29 The first in the boat has the choice of oars ENGLAND 30 Warm a frozen serpent, and it will sting you first ARMENIA 31 Sweep off your own back porch first USA 32 Those who sing worst, let them begin first ENGLAND 41 AFTERWARDS 1 What’s the good of a spoon after the meal is over? LATVIA 2 It ain’t over till the fat lady sings USA 3 The game’s not over until the last man strikes out USA 4 If they do not open after three knocks, do not wait POLAND 5 The greatest love is mother-love; after that comes a dog’s love; and after that the love of a sweetheart POLAND 6 Why feed a bullock after it is sold? INDIA 7 It’s no good locking the stable door after the horse is stolen ENGLAND 8 If power can be bought, then sell your mother to get it; you can always buy her back later GHANA 9 Don’t quote your proverb until you bring your ship to port SCOTLAND 10 Sell not your bearskin until you have the bear USA 11 Don’t cross a bridge until you come to it ENGLAND5 PRESENT TENSE (#ulink_37b69fef-2ad8-557c-b8f9-8db6bcd5f205)Proverbs, being the expression of general truths, are usually in the present tense. But occasionally we find them looking backwards and forwards in time.Past timeA barren sow was never good to pigs.Because we concentrated on the snake, we missed the scorpion.A big nose never spoiled a handsome face.Bacchus has drowned more people than Neptune.Some have been thought brave because they were afraid to run away.I gave an order to a cat, and the cat gave it to its tail.Future timeGo abroad and you’ll hear news of home.An old cat will not learn how to dance.A dog in desperation will leap over a wall.A red-nosed man may not be a drinker, but he will find nobody to believe it.Two barrels of tears will not heal a bruise.If we knew where we would fall, we would spread straw there first. 12 Don’t quit until the hearse comes round USA 13 When the face is washed, you finish at the chin NIGERIA 42 PAST – PRESENT – FUTURE 1 No one can call again yesterday ENGLAND 2 No one thinks of the snow that fell last year SWEDEN 3 It is in vain to look for yesterday’s fish in the house of the otter INDIA 4 The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now CHINA 5 A dog last year is a dog this year SERBIA 6 There’s no time like the present ENGLAND 7 Water will run where it ran before BULGARIA 8 Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow USA 9 For the diligent, a week has seven days; for the slothful, seven tomorrows GERMANY 10 If you want to be acquainted with the past and the present, you must read five cartloads of books CHINA 11 Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today ENGLAND 12 Here today and gone tomorrow ENGLAND 13 Speak, lest tomorrow you be prevented KENYA 14 Tomorrow blows the wind of tomorrow JAPAN 15 Tomorrow never comes ENGLAND 16 Today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday USA 43 SOONER OR LATER 1 A whitewashed crow soon shows black again CHINA 2 Short hair is soon brushed GERMANY 3 Longest at the fire soonest finds cold SCOTLAND 4 They that think no ill are soonest beguiled ENGLAND 5 The tighter the string, the sooner it will break WALES 6 Nothing dries sooner than a tear LATIN 7 Little kettles soon boil over ESTONIA 8 Honest men marry soon; wise men never ENGLAND 9 Luck and glass soon break GERMANY 10 The fuller the cup, the sooner the spill CHINA 11 A gummed thing soon ungums JAPAN 12 A fool and his money are soon parted ENGLAND 13 Punctuality is the politeness of princes FRANCE 14 If you wish to be angry, pay for something in advance MONTENEGRO 15 That which is to become a good nettle must sting early SWEDEN 16 Least said, soonest mended ENGLAND 17 Clumsy birds need early flight CHINA 18 If your neighbour is an early riser, you will become one ALBANIA 19 It is not economical to go to bed early to save the candles if the result is twins CHINA 20 The early bird catches the worm ENGLAND 21 Strawberries ripen sooner in a low wood than in a high one ESTONIA 22 Sooner begun, sooner done ENGLAND 23 It cannot be later than midnight MYANMAR 24 The later in the evening, the nicer the people NETHERLANDS 25 Those who are in a hurry are always late GEORGIA 26 Those who come too late find the platter turned over NETHERLANDS 27 Better late than never ENGLAND 44 NEWNESS 1 New brooms sweep clean ENGLAND 2 A new broom sweeps clean, but the old brush knows the corners IRELAND 3 Even in the freshest of milk you will still find hairs MALI 4 Necessity teaches new arts NORWAY 5 A debt is always new ESTONIA 6 Beware of old streets and new inns GERMANY 7 To read a book for the first time is to make the acquaintance of a new friend; to read it a second time is to meet an old one CHINA 8 An old story does not open the ear as a new one does NIGERIA 9 New clothes have no lice NAMIBIA 10 Out of old fields come new grain USA 11 You can’t teach an old dog new tricks ENGLAND 12 Only with a new ruler do you appreciate the value of the old MYANMAR 13 New lords, new laws FRANCE 14 New laws, new frauds ENGLAND 15 New officials introduce strict measures CHINA 16 There is always something to be cut off young trees if they are to grow well GERMANY 17 Better keep under an old hedge than creep under a new furze-bush ENGLAND 45 OLDNESS 1 Old purses shut badly NETHERLANDS 2 Everything ancient is to be respected GREECE 3 Custom is rust that mocks at every file BOHEMIA 4 Once is no custom NETHERLANDS 5 An old story does not open the ear as a new one does NIGERIA 6 When an old barn begins to burn, it is hard to put out NETHERLANDS 7 Old countries don’t disappear overnight; they stay for breakfast EGYPT 8 Old droppings don’t stink KENYA 9 Out of old fields come new grain USA 10 The older the buck, the harder his horn SCOTLAND 11 The older the ginger, the more it bites CHINA 12 Old sayings contain no lies SPAIN: BASQUE 13 Better keep under an old hedge than creep under a new furze-bush ENGLAND 14 An old moon’s mist never died of thirst IRELAND 15 Even a young foot finds ease in an old slipper SCOTLAND 16 Money is never old-fashioned NETHERLANDS 17 To get out a rusty nail you must take away a piece of the wall MALTA 18 A new broom sweeps clean, but the old brush knows the corners IRELAND 19 An old broom still sweeps the room ESTONIA 20 Beware of old streets and new inns GERMANY 21 If you want to go fast, go the old road MYANMAR 22 There is no better looking-glass than an old friend ENGLAND 23 To read a book for the first time is to make the acquaintance of a new friend; to read it a second time is to meet an old one CHINA 24 Only with a new ruler do you appreciate the value of the old MYANMAR 25 You must go behind the door to mend old breeches ENGLAND 26 Hunger doesn’t say, ‘Stale bread,’ and cold doesn’t say ‘Old coat.’ GEORGIA 27 One should not ask the time of a rusty clock NETHERLANDS 46 AGE 1 New-born calves don’t fear tigers CHINA 2 The baby who does not cry does not get fed PHILIPPINES 3 A frog’s baby is a frog JAPAN 4 A burnt bairn dreads the fire SCOTLAND 5 A child learns quicker to talk than to be silent NORWAY 6 Parents who are afraid to put their foot down will have children who step on their toes CHINA 7 Many kiss the child for the nurse’s sake ENGLAND 8 Wine and children speak the truth ROMANIA 9 A good child has several names ESTONIA 10 To understand your parents’ love, bear your own children CHINA 11 A child is more than a chip ESTONIA 12 When you give a child a nut, give it also something to break it with GEORGIA 13 Children regard their father’s guest as a slave REPUBLIC OF CONGO 14 It’s a wise child that knows its own father ENGLAND 15 Those who have no children do not understand love ITALY 16 It takes a whole village to raise one child NIGERIA 17 When you show the moon to a child, it sees only your finger ZAMBIA 18 More precious than our children are the children of our children EGYPT 19 Spare the rod and spoil the child ENGLAND 20 If he calls it a silly and childish game, that means his wife can beat him at it USA 21 A young doctor makes a full graveyard CHINA 22 Three kinds of men fail to understand women – young men, old men, and middle-aged men IRELAND 23 Even a young foot finds ease in an old slipper SCOTLAND 24 A young saint, an old devil ITALY 25 The house with an old grandparent harbours a jewel CHINA 26 An old rat is a brave rat FRANCE 27 It is a hard job to make old monkeys pull faces BELGIUM 28 An old cat will not learn how to dance MOROCCO 29 You can’t teach an old dog new tricks ENGLAND 30 The mind does not grow old WALES 31 An old horse doesn’t fear the whip SWITZERLAND 32 The head is older than the book BELGIUM 33 Age before beauty USA 34 You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla REPUBLIC OF CONGO 35 There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots USA 36 Old soldiers never die ENGLAND 37 Where paper speaks, beards are silent FRANCE 38 To grow is to see SOUTH AFRICA 39 Those who do not lie never grow up UGANDA 47 A TIME AND A PLACE 1 There’s a time and a place for everything ENGLAND 2 A good day is that in which to lay by cold porridge MALAWI 3 Although the river is broad there are times when boats collide CHINA 4 When the occasion comes, the proverb comes GHANA 5 Turn your tongue seven times before speaking FRANCE 6 Every time we laugh a nail is removed from our coffin ITALY 7 There is a time to squint, and a time to look straight SCOTLAND 8 Transgressions should never be forgiven a third time CHINA 9 Fall down seven times, get up eight JAPAN 10 To read a book for the first time is to make the acquaintance of a new friend; to read it a second time is to meet an old one CHINA 11 It is not enough to run; one must start in time FRANCE 12 There’s no time like the present ENGLAND 48 SOMETIMES 1 A blind hen can sometimes find her corn FRANCE 2 The saddest dog sometimes wags its tail ENGLAND 3 Idle curiosity sometimes fills the mousetrap NETHERLANDS 4 The devil makes pots, but not always lids ITALY: SARDINIA 5 The dog on three legs ain’t always lame USA 6 Thunder-clouds do not always give rain ARMENIA 7 Pilgrims seldom come home saints GERMANY 8 Friends are lost by calling often and calling seldom SCOTLAND 9 Where they like you, do not go often SPAIN 10 Even the best smith sometimes hits his thumb NETHERLANDS 11 Two happy days are seldom brothers BULGARIA 12 Sometimes one must let turnips be pears GERMANY 13 Fools seldom differ ENGLAND 14 Not even a bell always rings the same way SERBIA 49 LASTING 1 What one writes remains NETHERLANDS 2 Accomplishments remain with oneself JAPAN 3 A contented mind is a continual feast ENGLAND 4 A cat may go to a monastery, but she still remains a cat ETHIOPIA 5 The more things change the more they remain the same FRANCE 6 Someone may learn and learn and yet remain a fool GREECE 7 Even if water flows in all directions, the sand will remain at the bottom GEORGIA 8 Rain which does not fall remains in the sky ITALY 9 To fall is no shame, but to remain fallen is SWEDEN 10 The eyes close in sleep, but the pillow remains awake MALAYSIA 11 Nobody can rest in their own shadow HUNGARY 12 Those who look fixedly at gold lose their sight NETHERLANDS 13 Who marches fast remains on the road ALBANIA 14 If you want to keep your milk sweet, leave it in the cow LIBERIA 15 Old countries don’t disappear overnight; they stay for breakfast EGYPT 16 To open a shop is easy; to keep it open is an art CHINA 17 As long as life lasts, the cow never stops moving its tail NIGERIA 18 Those who seek a constant friend go to the cemetery RUSSIA 50 CEASING 1 Your liberty ends where my nose begins USA 2 All good things come to an end ENGLAND 3 The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the one doing it CHINA 4 Those who deal in onions no longer smell them GERMANY 5 If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging USA 6 If you are building a house and a nail breaks, do you stop building or do you change the nail? RWANDA AND BURUNDI 7 It is not clever to play but to stop playing USA 8 Time and tide wait for no one ENGLAND 9 Don’t quit until the hearse comes round USA 51 CHANGING 1 In the middle of the river do not change horses PERU 2 It is no advantage for someone in a fever to change their bed ENGLAND 3 We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails GERMANY 4 No matter how much the world changes, cats will never lay eggs MALI 5 When the music changes, so does the dance NIGERIA 6 A change is as good as a rest ENGLAND 7 Rain doesn’t remain in the sky ESTONIA 8 If you engrave it too much it will become a hole INDIA 9 Even if you cannot climb the mountain do not remain in the valley GERMANY 10 If your neighbour is an early riser, you will become one ALBANIA 11 The more things change the more they remain the same FRANCE 12 That which is to become a good nettle must sting early SWEDEN 13 The roughest stone becomes smooth when it is much rolled SWITZERLAND 14 The dragon in shallow water becomes the butt of shrimps CHINA 15 What falls into salt becomes salt INDIA 16 The leopard cannot change its spots ENGLAND 17 The smaller the lizard, the greater its hope of becoming a crocodile ETHIOPIA 18 Justice becomes injustice when it makes two wounds on a head which only deserves one REPUBLIC OF CONGO 19 The twig that falls in the water will never become a fish C?TE D’IVOIRE 20 A blanket becomes heavier as it becomes wetter INDIA 21 Those who change their trade make soup in a basket ENGLAND 22 The wolf changes his hair, but not his skin ALBANIA 23 If you are building a house and a nail breaks, do you stop building or do you change the nail? RWANDA AND BURUNDI 24 A bald-headed man cannot grow hair by getting excited about it REPUBLIC OF CONGO 25 Even deep water-holes may get dry SOUTH AFRICA 26 Those who do not eat cheese will go mad FRANCE 27 The mind does not grow old WALES 28 The broth from a distance grows cool on the road KENYA 29 The feathers make the fowl big C?TE D’IVOIRE 30 Puttin’ feathers on a buzzard won’t make it no eagle USA 31 Grass must turn to hay LATIN 32 What is done cannot be undone ENGLAND 33 Luck and glass soon break GERMANY 34 You never know your luck till the wheel stops USA 52 HAPPENINGS 1 Bad is called good when worse happens NORWAY 2 Take the ball as it bounces FRANCE 3 Education don’t come by bumping against the school-house USA 4 Everything comes to those who wait ENGLAND 5 The thinnest bread finds itself married to bread ALGERIA6 BELONGING TOGETHER (#ulink_e4b66655-36b3-5b23-9ee5-e5bd18ae407d)A widely used stylistic trick is for a proverb to ascribe a particular quality to two very different entities. The device makes us momentarily pause before we see the point.Wine and children speak the truth. (ROMANIA)Beware of a person’s shadow and a bee’s sting. (MYANMAR)Two things make one either greater or smaller, praise and shadows. (GERMANY)In buying horses and in taking a wife, shut your eyes tight and commend yourself to God. (ITALY)Time and tide wait for no one. (ENGLAND)All is fair in love and war. (ENGLAND)Eggs and vows are easily broken. (JAPAN)A guest and a fish after three days are poison. (FRANCE)Words and feathers are taken by the wind. (SPAIN: BASQUE)Loving and singing are not to be forced. (GERMANY)Priests and women never forget. (GERMANY)A rich person’s sickness and a poor person’s pancake are smelt a long way off. (BELGIUM)Before God and the bus-conductor we are all equal. (GERMANY)Rhubarb and patience work wonders. (GERMANY)Mad folks and proverbs reveal many truths. (USA)SEE ALSO Contrasts 6 If you don’t want the gun to go off, don’t cock the trigger REPUBLIC OF CONGO 7 Accidents will happen ENGLAND 8 To read a book for the first time is to make the acquaintance of a new friend; to read it a second time is to meet an old one CHINA 9 A gardener’s flirtations take place outside the garden AFGHANISTAN 10 Life is just one damned thing after another USA 11 Things don’t turn up; they must be turned up ENGLAND 12 Those who simultaneously eat and sing rise up fools PHILIPPINES 13 The end of an ox is beef, and the end of a lie is grief MADAGASCAR 14 What reliance can be placed on a sneeze? INDIA 15 One accident is one too many CANADA 16 When luck offers a finger one must take the whole hand SWEDEN 17 All good things come to an end ENGLAND 18 Buzzards do not sing in bleak regions PERU 53 CAUSE – EFFECT 1 The sign-board brings the custom FRANCE 2 A bad thing that does no harm is the same as a good one that does no good GERMANY 3 The big toe never does the ear any harm NIGERIA 4 We get the note by striking the string INDIA 5 A waiting appetite kindles many a spite ENGLAND 6 Too much discussion will lead to a row C?TE D’IVOIRE 7 Justice becomes injustice when it makes two wounds on a head which only deserves one REPUBLIC OF CONGO 8 Many drops make a puddle NETHERLANDS 9 One pebble doesn’t make a floor NIGERIA 10 Money makes the world go round USA 11 Familiarity breeds contempt ENGLAND 12 To always win brings suspicion, to always lose brings contempt GERMANY 13 Revolutions are not made by men in spectacles USA 14 What makes one abbot glad makes another abbot sad SCOTLAND 15 Practice makes perfect ENGLAND 16 Cheese and bread make the cheeks red GERMANY 17 It takes two blows to make a battle ENGLAND 18 The second word makes the fray JAPAN 19 Beauty does not make the pot boil IRELAND 20 A smooth way makes the foot slip ESTONIA 21 Good words make us laugh; good deeds make us silent FRANCE 22 One swallow does not make a summer ENGLAND 23 There’s nothing like being bespattered for making someone defy the gutter FRANCE 24 A fire in the heart makes smoke in the head GERMANY 25 The art of being a merchant consists more in getting paid than in making sales SPAIN 26 Strange bread makes the cheeks red SWITZERLAND 27 It takes two to make a quarrel ENGLAND 28 Two things make one either greater or smaller, praise and shadows GERMANY 29 God preserve us from pitch-forks, for they make three holes SWITZERLAND 30 It is the turning of the mill that makes the flour heap INDIA 31 Peace makes money and money makes war FRANCE 32 Small cares make many words, great ones are mute GERMANY 33 A coward’s fear makes a brave man braver SCOTLAND 34 A fall into a ditch makes you wiser CHINA 35 From fried eggs come no chickens USA 36 A young doctor makes a full graveyard CHINA 37 Absence makes the heart grow fonder ENGLAND 38 A crooked log makes a good fire FRANCE 39 The sweetest wine makes the sharpest vinegar GERMANY 40 A borrowed drum never makes good dancing HAITI 41 At birth we cry – at death we see why BULGARIA 42 Straps come from the same leather ARGENTINA 43 Good juice from fruit comes without squeezing IRAN 44 Slowness comes from God and quickness from the devil MOROCCO 45 Out of old fields come new grain USA 46 A beautiful disorder is an effect of art FRANCE 47 God does not shave – why should I? BULGARIA 48 Great consolation may grow out of the smallest saying SWITZERLAND 49 It is not economical to go to bed early to save the candles if the result is twins CHINA 50 Set a thief to catch a thief ENGLAND 54 STRENGTH – WEAKNESS 1 Take away the wife of a strong man only when he is out UGANDA 2 Community is as strong as water, and as stupid as a pig RUSSIA 3 The one who is not strong enough to lift the stone must roll it ESTONIA 4 The dog on three legs ain’t always lame USA 5 Truth is greater than ten goats NIGERIA 6 Habit hardens the feet NETHERLANDS 7 Pray devoutly but hammer stoutly ENGLAND 8 Strong people can spin their top in the sand JAPAN 9 Good nature is stronger than tomahawks USA 10 The throwers of stones fling away the strength of their own arms NIGERIA 11 A chain is as strong as its weakest link ENGLAND 12 Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable KENYA 13 A habit is first cobwebs, then cables USA 14 The third strand makes the cable NETHERLANDS 15 Too much tying loosens SYRIA 16 A barren sow was never good to pigs ENGLAND 17 Pull gently at a weak rope NETHERLANDS 18 It’s a great life if you don’t weaken USA 19 An axe with a loose head is the bane of a man up a tree NIGERIA 20 A shadow is a feeble thing but no sun can drive it away SWEDEN 55 PRODUCTION 1 A basket-maker who makes one basket makes a hundred BRAZIL 2 More than one mother can make tasty soup NIGERIA 3 Crab apples make good jelly too USA 4 No more leaves can fall in autumn than were grown in spring GERMANY 5 Make hay while the sun shines ENGLAND 6 A hundred men may make an encampment, but it needs a woman to make a home CHINA 7 One cannot make soup out of beauty ESTONIA 8 Not every sort of wood is fit to make an arrow FRANCE 9 Sweat makes good mortar GERMANY 10 The wise make proverbs but fools repeat them ENGLAND 11 Words do not make flour ITALY 12 They wouldn’t make erasers if we didn’t make mistakes USA 13 Neither break a law nor make one IRELAND 14 A hat is not made for one shower ENGLAND 15 It isn’t every kind of wood that can make a whistle LATVIA 16 It is easy to make pipes sitting amongst bulrushes CZECH REPUBLIC 17 There’s no making apples of plums GERMANY 18 Cooks make their own sauce FRANCE 19 Any wood will do to make a signpost GREECE 20 You can’t make a cheap palace USA 21 Every chimney makes its own smoke ITALY 22 The devil makes pots, but not always lids ITALY: SARDINIA 23 Those who change their trade make soup in a basket ENGLAND 24 Every plate that is made breaks AFGHANISTAN 25 A maker of idols is never an idol-worshipper CHINA 26 Every work revenges itself on its master GERMANY 27 A father is a banker provided by nature FRANCE 28 Two pieces of meat confuse the mind of the fly NIGERIA 29 Good things sell themselves; bad things have to be advertised ETHIOPIA 30 The best things in life are free USA 31 Abundance does not spread, famine does SOUTH AFRICA 32 Abundance will make cotton pull a stone NIGERIA 33 A fruit-tree that grows on a dunghill is sure to flourish NEW ZEALAND 34 Cut your coat according to your cloth ENGLAND 56 DESTRUCTION 1 An ant may well destroy a whole dam CHINA 2 Small termites collapse the roof ETHIOPIA 3 To fill a ditch a mound must come down ARMENIA 4 A candle lights others and consumes itself ENGLAND 5 A fallen lighthouse is more dangerous than a reef CHINA 6 Weeds never perish NETHERLANDS 7 Feigned laughter ruins the teeth INDIA 8 Those who hesitate are lost ENGLAND 9 Do not tear down the east wall to repair the west CHINA 10 You cannot damage a wrecked ship ITALY 11 One broken rail will wreck a train USA 12 Sharp acids corrode their own containers ALBANIA 57 FORCE 1 No matter how hard you throw a dead fish in the water, it still won’t swim REPUBLIC OF CONGO 2 A hungry louse bites hard USA 3 It’s not so bad to fall in the gutter, but it’s worse to lay there USA 4 It takes two blows to make a battle ENGLAND 5 There’s no crime in the blow that has not been struck IRELAND 6 The first blow does not hurt like the second ZANZIBAR 7 The peace-maker gets two-thirds of the blows MONTENEGRO 8 Those who bring good news knock hard ENGLAND 9 The bigger they come, the harder they fall USA 10 When two elephants struggle, it is the grass that suffers ZANZIBAR 11 Pull gently at a weak rope NETHERLANDS 12 If you have strings, pull them USA 58 PARENTS – CHILDREN 1 To understand your parents’ love, bear your own children CHINA 2 A crab does not beget a bird C?TE D’IVOIRE 3 We are all Adam’s children ENGLAND 4 Proverbs are the children of experience ENGLAND 5 Who teaches me for a day is my father for a lifetime CHINA 6 Poets are fathers of lies LATIN 7 A boulder is the father of the rocks NIGERIA 8 Give your love to your wife and your secret to your mother IRELAND 9 The morning is the mother of trades and the evening the mother of thoughts ITALY 10 The bazaar knows neither father nor mother TURKEY 11 Those whose mother is naked are not likely to clothe their aunt SUDAN 12 A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother SIERRA LEONE 13 More than one mother can make tasty soup NIGERIA 14 If power can be bought, then sell your mother to get it; you can always buy her back later GHANA 15 Necessity is the mother of invention ENGLAND 16 If you laugh at your mother-in-law, you’ll get dirt in your eye KENYA 17 Parents who are afraid to put their foot down will have children who step on their toes CHINA 18 It takes a whole village to raise one child NIGERIA 19 It is not economical to go to bed early to save the candles if the result is twins CHINA 20 Admiration is the daughter of ignorance SPAIN 21 Truth is the daughter of time GERMANY 22 An heir also inherits quarrels NAMIBIA 23 It is easier to rule a nation than a son CHINA 24 A child is more than a chip ESTONIA 59 LOCATIONS 1 There’s a time and a place for everything ENGLAND 2 There’s more room outside than inside CANADA 3 It is hard to swim between two stretches of bad water NETHERLANDS 4 A new broom sweeps clean, but the old brush knows the corners IRELAND 5 The best neighbors are vacant lots USA 6 A good driver turns in a small space FRANCE 7 Where the drum is burst is the place to mend it REPUBLIC OF CONGO 8 It is with its own face that the plate receives the soup NIGERIA 9 Between two points one cannot draw more than one straight line DENMARK 10 If you can’t drive your car, park it USA 11 Do not put each foot on a different boat CHINA 12 Precious ointments are put in small boxes FRANCE 13 All’s lost that’s put in a broken dish SCOTLAND 14 Lightning never strikes twice in the same place ENGLAND 15 The quiet duck puts his foot on the unobservant worm CHINA 16 Puttin’ feathers on a buzzard won’t make it no eagle USA 17 Many speak a word which if it were a florin they would put back in their purse GERMANY 18 It is easier to throw the load off the cart than to put it on CZECH REPUBLIC 19 Don’t put all your goods in your shop window USA 20 A gladiator only takes counsel in the arena LATIN 60 STANDING – SITTING – LYING 1 Standing on top of one mountain, the other mountain is higher CHINA 2 Someone who stands behind a wall can see nothing else JAPAN 3 A lie stands upon one leg, but truth upon two ENGLAND 4 It is easy to make pipes sitting amongst bulrushes CZECH REPUBLIC 5 When two ride on one horse one must sit behind ENGLAND 6 Who sits under a pear-tree will eat pears BULGARIA 7 ‘Virtue in the middle,’ said the devil as he sat between two lawyers NORWAY 8 Who sits on the floor, is not afraid of a fall CZECH REPUBLIC 9 Sparrows clean their beaks against the branch on which they sit ESTONIA 10 A bird with a beautiful plumage doesn’t sit in the corner CAMEROON 11 If you try to sit on two chairs, you’ll sit on the floor USA 12 Those who have free seats at a play hiss first CHINA 13 At a round table every seat is first GERMANY 14 Don’t be breaking your shin on a stool that’s not in your way IRELAND 15 Judge not the horse by his saddle CHINA 16 Flies never alight on boiling pots UKRAINE 17 If you would climb into the saddle don’t despise the stirrup GERMANY 18 Those who lie on the ground have no place from which to fall LATIN 19 When the bed is small lie in the centre SPAIN 20 People are not trodden on unless they lie down first GERMANY 61 FINDING 1 A blind hen can sometimes find her corn FRANCE 2 If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging USA 3 A red-nosed man may not be a drinker, but he will find nobody to believe it CHINA 4 You can’t find a thing except in the place it is IRELAND 5 Three sorts of people are always to be found, soldiers, professors, and women GERMANY 6 In the choicest vase are found the ugliest cracks CHINA 7 The paddle which you find in the canoe is the one that will take you across LIBERIA 8 Even in the freshest of milk you will still find hairs MALI 9 Don’t hold the dime so near your eye that you can’t see the dollar USA 62 HOME – ABROAD 1 Better do a good deed near at home than go far away to burn incense CHINA 2 Who knows the language is at home everywhere NETHERLANDS 3 Don’t shuck your corn till the hogs come home USA 4 Chickens come home to roost ENGLAND 5 Pilgrims seldom come home saints GERMANY 6 Send your charity abroad wrapped in blankets ENGLAND 7 If you haven’t much to do, start cleaning your own backyard USA 8 Slowly but surely the excrement of foreign poets will come to your village MALI 9 The crossroads always confuse the stranger NIGERIA 10 There is no bridge without a place the other side of it WALES 11 Go abroad and you’ll hear news of home ENGLAND 12 The toughest broncs is always them you’ve rode some other place USA7 CHILDREN PLAY WITH PROVERBS (#ulink_c5bb9db6-fb48-5d39-bd11-ccf26b9f23f2)Proverbs become a part of children’s linguistic consciousness quite early in life. This is partly because of their frequency in everyday domestic conversation and partly because they are quite commonly mentioned in children’s story-books. As a result, children play with proverbs as they do with every other aspect of language.Teachers can rely on this experience to help develop their students’ linguistic awareness. One teacher gave a class of seven-year-olds a list of proverbs, left out the final word or phrase, and asked them to finish it off in their own way. Here are some of the results.As you make your bed so you must … mess it up.Don’t bite the hand that … looks dirty.You can’t teach an old dog new … maths.Where there’s smoke, there’s … pollution.A penny saved is … not much.Children should be seen and not … grounded.SEE ALSO Adults play with proverbs 13 Buzzards do not sing in bleak regions PERU 14 Keep your chickens in your own backyard USA 15 Don’t stand by the water and long for fish; go home and weave a net CHINA 16 One sits best on one’s own bench NORWAY 17 The saints of the home work no miracles ITALY 18 When the cat’s not home, the mice jump on the table NETHERLANDS 19 Charity begins at home ENGLAND 20 The clock ticks nowhere as it ticks at home NETHERLANDS 21 Home is where the heart is ENGLAND 63 COUNTRIES 1 The hyena of your own country does not break your bones KENYA 2 All countries are frontiers SOUTH AFRICA 3 It is easy to lie about a far-off country ETHIOPIA 4 Old countries don’t disappear overnight; they stay for breakfast EGYPT 5 It is a fine thing to die for one’s fatherland, but a still finer thing to live for it HUNGARY 6 Fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts LATIN 7 The skin creaks according to the country ETHIOPIA 8 All the keys in the land do not hang from one girdle SCOTLAND 64 CITIES – TOWNS – VILLAGES 1 Do not dwell in a city where a horse does not neigh nor a dog bark ENGLAND 2 Courteous asking breaks even city walls UKRAINE 3 You may read Pompeii in some people’s faces ITALY 4 When in Rome do as the Romans do ENGLAND 5 Those who wish to live at Rome must not quarrel with the pope FRANCE 6 All roads lead to Rome ENGLAND 7 Rome was not built in a day ENGLAND 8 Not everyone can be the pope of Rome NETHERLANDS 9 He who never leaves Paris will never be pope FRANCE 10 The town that parleys is half surrendered FRANCE 11 The moon moves slowly, but it gets across the town C?TE D’IVOIRE 12 The village that can be seen needs no signpost ALBANIA 13 Don’t snap your fingers at the dogs before you are outside the village FRANCE 14 It is not good to be the poet of a village GERMANY 15 Obey the customs of the village you enter JAPAN 16 Who goes around the village long enough will get either a dog-bite or a dinner SERBIA 17 A village in sight does not require a guide TURKEY 18 The medicine man is not esteemed in his own village KENYA 19 It takes a whole village to raise one child NIGERIA 20 Slowly but surely the excrement of foreign poets will come to your village MALI 21 The hindermost ox also reaches the kraal SOUTH AFRICA 65 WHERE TO LIVE 1 A little nest is warmer than a big nest IRELAND 2 Empty barns need no thatch ENGLAND 3 Ability and necessity dwell in the same cabin NETHERLANDS 4 Every priest praises his convent PHILIPPINES 5 Don’t praise a cottage in which you haven’t yet slept SOUTH AFRICA 6 You cannot catch a tiger cub unless you enter the tiger’s den JAPAN 7 When an old barn begins to burn, it is hard to put out NETHERLANDS 8 It is the hyenas of the same den that hate one another KENYA 9 A hundred men may make an encampment, but it needs a woman to make a home CHINA 10 Draw the snake from its hole by someone else’s hand SPAIN 11 A skunk smells its own hole first USA 12 Beware of old streets and new inns GERMANY 13 Better keep under an old hedge than creep under a new furze-bush ENGLAND 14 Never follow a beast into its lair SOUTH AFRICA 15 Insects do not nest in a busy door-hinge CHINA 16 Every cabin has its mosquito JAMAICA 17 Two crocodiles don’t live in one pond GAMBIA 18 An artist lives everywhere ENGLAND 19 A sly rabbit will have three openings to its den CHINA 20 Those who wish to live at Rome must not quarrel with the pope FRANCE 21 Goats cannot live in a herd of leopards MALI 22 All hillbillies don’t live in the hills CANADA 23 A full cabin is better than an empty castle IRELAND 24 A chattering bird builds no nest CAMEROON 25 It is a cunning mouse which nests in the cat’s ear ENGLAND 26 You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from nesting in your hair CHINA 27 A clever bird builds its nest with other birds’ feathers ZIMBABWE 28 When rats infest the palace a lame cat is better than the swiftest horse CHINA 29 You can’t make a cheap palace USA 30 In one stable there may be a steed and an ass BELGIUM 66 HOUSES 1 In every house there are always cobwebs SERBIA 2 A word flies away like a sparrow and returns to the house like a crow GERMANY 3 The clock must be the master in the house SWEDEN 4 When the house is built the carpenter is forgotten INDIA 5 A quarrel in a neighbouring house is refreshing INDIA 6 Little houses have fat mice TANZANIA 7 A book holds a house of gold CHINA 8 When the bee comes to your house, let her have beer; you may want to visit the bee’s house some day REPUBLIC OF CONGO 9 Woe to the house where there is no chiding ENGLAND 10 A house is not built on earth, but on a woman SERBIA 11 Look the other way when the girl in the tea-house smiles JAPAN 12 A little dog is really brave in front of his master’s house HAITI 13 Those who haven’t seen a church bow before a fireplace POLAND 14 It is in vain to look for yesterday’s fish in the house of the otter INDIA 15 A long beard does not prevent a house going to bed hungry CAMEROON 16 The only insurance against fire is to have two houses NIGERIA 17 If you are building a house and a nail breaks, do you stop building or do you change the nail? RWANDA AND BURUNDI 18 The house with an old grandparent harbours a jewel CHINA 19 An old broom still sweeps the room ESTONIA 20 People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones ENGLAND 21 Those who live in the attic know where the roof leaks NIGERIA 22 Do not jump high under a low ceiling CZECH REPUBLIC 23 Rain does not fall only on one roof CAMEROON 24 When it rains, the roof always drips the same way LIBERIA 25 Small termites collapse the roof ETHIOPIA 26 Communities begin by building their kitchen FRANCE 27 It is no use standing with an open mouth in front of an oven DENMARK 28 Insects do not nest in a busy door-hinge CHINA 29 Sweep off your own back porch first USA 30 Only the sweep knows what is up the chimney ITALY 31 Every chimney makes its own smoke ITALY 67 DOORS – WINDOWS – KEYS 1 They must stoop who have a low door SCOTLAND 2 A door must either be open or shut FRANCE 3 Teachers open the door; you enter by yourself CHINA 4 When one door shuts, another opens SCOTLAND 5 Never bolt your door with a boiled carrot IRELAND 6 Shut your door in such a way that you can open it again DENMARK 7 Why seek the key of an open door? INDIA 8 Let everyone sweep before their own door GERMANY 9 You must go behind the door to mend old breeches ENGLAND 10 There’s a puddle at every door, and before some doors there are two SCOTLAND 11 On going into a church leave the world behind the door SPAIN 12 A hole here and there is not the same as a window KENYA 13 It is no use applying eye-medicine from a two-storey window JAPAN 14 Don’t put all your goods in your shop window USA 15 ‘If I rest, I rust’, says the key GERMANY 16 The used key is always bright ENGLAND 17 Those who would enter paradise must have a good key ENGLAND 18 Beware of the door which has several keys INDIA 19 All the keys in the land do not hang from one girdle SCOTLAND 20 The key that opens is also the key that locks REPUBLIC OF CONGO 68 GUESTS 1 Seven days is the length of a guest’s life MYANMAR 2 A guest and a fish after three days are poison FRANCE 3 Let the guests at table be three or four – at the most five GREECE 4 Children regard their father’s guest as a slave REPUBLIC OF CONGO 5 Aching teeth are ill tenants ENGLAND 6 The later in the evening, the nicer the people NETHERLANDS 69 ABSENT – PRESENT 1 Absence makes the heart grow fonder ENGLAND 2 You cannot shave a man’s head in his absence NIGERIA 3 The absent get farther off every day JAPAN 4 The absent always bear the blame NETHERLANDS 5 Whose presence does no good, their absence does no harm ENGLAND 6 Easy come, easy go ENGLAND 7 Away from the battle all are soldiers GERMANY 8 An apple a day keeps the doctor away ENGLAND 9 Take away the wife of a strong man only when he is out UGANDA 10 Time to catch bears is when they’re out USA 11 Here today and gone tomorrow ENGLAND 12 Present to the eye, present to the mind CHINA 13 While the cat’s away, the mice will play ENGLAND 14 A proverb characterizes nations, but must first dwell among them SWITZERLAND 70 BAGS – SACKS 1 Don’t rely on the label of the bag FRANCE 2 An empty bag cannot stand upright ENGLAND 3 At the bottom of the bag one finds the bill NETHERLANDS 4 It is folly to put flour into a bag facing the wind GERMANY 5 After the game the king goes into the sack like the pawn ITALY 6 If you look in a chief’s bag you will always find something UGANDA 7 That which goes last into the sack comes out first SWEDEN 8 The string of our sack of patience is generally tied with a slip knot JAPAN 9 An empty sack can’t stand, nor a dead cat walk IRELAND 71 BARRELS – CASKS 1 Never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel CHINA 2 One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel ENGLAND 3 Two barrels of tears will not heal a bruise CHINA 4 A sip at a time empties the cask NORWAY 5 The fuller the cask, the duller its sound GERMANY 6 A cask of wine works more miracles than a church full of saints ITALY 72 BASKETS 1 A pretty basket does not prevent worries REPUBLIC OF CONGO 2 Those who change their trade make soup in a basket ENGLAND 3 The basket that has two handles can be carried by two EGYPT 4 A basket-maker who makes one basket makes a hundred BRAZIL 5 A basket with its bottom burst is useless NIGERIA 6 Do not fill your basket with useless shells of coconuts KENYA 7 Even the bottom of a basket finds something to hold MADAGASCAR 8 Don’t put all your eggs in one basket ENGLAND 9 Better a handful of bees than a basketful of flies MOROCCO 73 BOTTLES – CANS 1 The sweeter the perfume, the uglier the flies which gather round the bottle CHINA 2 You can’t look into a bottle with both eyes TOGO 3 The one who has put an egg into a bottle can easily take it out NIGERIA 4 Save your bottles; it may rain whiskey USA 5 Those who want the last drop out of the can get the lid on their nose NETHERLANDS 6 Every alley has its own tin can USA 74 CUPS – GLASSES 1 There’s many a slip between cup and lip ENGLAND 2 The fuller the cup, the sooner the spill CHINA 3 A full cup must be carried steadily ENGLAND 4 Three glasses of wine drive away the evil spirits, but with the fourth they return GERMANY 5 A broken glass can’t be hurt ENGLAND 6 You don’t have to buy a dairy just because you want a glass of milk USA 75 DISHES – PLATES 1 One bird in the dish is better than a hundred in the air GERMANY 2 All’s lost that’s put in a broken dish SCOTLAND 3 Enjoy your ice-cream while it’s on your plate USA 4 Every plate that is made breaks AFGHANISTAN 5 It is with its own face that the plate receives the soup NIGERIA 6 It’s a poor crust that can’t grease its own plate USA 7 Those who come too late find the platter turned over NETHERLANDS 76 POTS – BOWLS – JUGS 1 Beauty does not make the pot boil IRELAND 2 Flies never alight on boiling pots UKRAINE 3 A little drop of water silences a boiling pot GERMANY 4 The devil makes pots, but not always lids ITALY: SARDINIA 5 I can tell by my own pot how the others are boiling FRANCE 6 When the beans get too thick, the pot burns USA 7 A watched pot never boils ENGLAND 8 It is the pot that boils, but the dish gets the credit CAMEROON 9 Those who were surprised by a turtle are surprised by a pot cover KOREA 10 The sun cannot shine into an inverted bowl CHINA 11 The basin must hold what the cauldron cooks ESTONIA 12 While it rains, fill the jar TURKEY 13 Whether the stone bumps the jug, or the jug bumps the stone, it is bad for the jug USA8 COUNTRY VARIATIONS – ARTEFACTS (#ulink_0887338e-1aed-5994-9078-8be0c6f66da6)Vehicles, games, money, musical instruments, and other artefacts often give a proverb some local colouring.Every day cannot be a feast of lanterns (CHINA)Don’t hold the dime so near your eye that you can’t see the dollar (USA)If you don’t toot your own horn, nobody else will (USA)A love-letter sometimes costs more than a three-cent stamp (USA)Good nature is stronger than tomahawks (USA)Learn to handle a writing-brush, and you’ll never handle a begging-bowl (CHINA)Those who do not know how to squander their money – buy some porcelain and drop it (NETHERLANDS)In chess the fools are nearest the kings (FRANCE)Carrying-poles which bend easily do not break (CHINA)A canoe is paddled on both sides (NIGERIA)If all get into the palanquin, who will be the bearers? (INDIA)The wife of the amber-turner wears pearls of glass (IRAN)An untouched drum does not speak (LIBERIA)Straps come from the same leather (ARGENTINA)The woman who sells fans often shades her eyes with her hands (CHINA)Beauty is an empty calabash (CAMEROON)Those who cannot build the dyke should hand over the land (NETHERLANDS)SEE ALSO Country variations – climate; animals; plants; beliefs and behaviour 77 SPOONS – LADLES 1 What’s the good of a spoon after the meal is over? LATVIA 2 God gives the wideness of the mouth according to the bigness of the spoon POLAND 3 A dry spoon scratches the mouth RUSSIA 4 The spoon is prized when the soup is being eaten CZECH REPUBLIC 5 Food tastes best when one eats it with one’s own spoon DENMARK 6 If in the pot, it will come into the spoon INDIA 7 Without fingers the hand would be a spoon SENEGAL 8 Until the soup boils over, the ladle has no value TURKEY 9 When is a cook’s ladle hungry or a beer jug thirsty? ESTONIA 78 WELLS 1 Painting the pump will not clean out the well ENGLAND 2 Dig a well before you are thirsty CHINA 3 Cast no dirt into the well that has given you water ENGLAND 4 Well water does not invade river water CHINA 5 If the bucket has been long in the well, it ought to come out with water NIGERIA 6 A well without a bucket is no good USA 79 OTHER CONTAINERS 1 Sharp acids corrode their own containers ALBANIA 2 Precious ointments are put in small boxes FRANCE 3 A coconut shell full of water is a sea to an ant ZANZIBAR 4 Beauty is an empty calabash CAMEROON 5 A beautiful maiden is a devil’s pocket PHILIPPINES 6 Even in the sheath the knife must be sharp FINLAND 7 Two swords cannot be kept in one sheath INDIA 8 The pig dreams of his trough FINLAND 9 In the choicest vase are found the ugliest cracks CHINA 80 LOADS 1 There is no light burden on a long road CHINA 2 On a level road a small stone upsets the cartload ESTONIA 3 If you want to be acquainted with the past and the present, you must read five cartloads of books CHINA 4 It takes little effort to watch someone carry a load CHINA 5 It is easier to throw the load off the cart than to put it on CZECH REPUBLIC 6 Not the load, but the overload kills SPAIN 7 Let every pedlar carry his own pack GERMANY 8 The label is bigger than the package GREECE 9 Dynamite comes in small packages USA 81 BIG SIZE 1 Big tree but no shade PHILIPPINES 2 A fly before one’s own eye is bigger than an elephant in the next field CHINA 3 A big nose never spoiled a handsome face FRANCE 4 The big toe never does the ear any harm NIGERIA 5 A big head, a big headache BULGARIA 6 Those who jump over a big stone often stumble over a pebble NETHERLANDS 7 The cork is always bigger than the mouth of the bottle ESTONIA 8 The sea is made bigger even by one drop RUSSIA 9 The label is bigger than the package GREECE 10 The feathers make the fowl big C?TE D’IVOIRE 11 A big fish is caught with big bait SIERRA LEONE 12 Never marry a woman who has bigger feet than you MOZAMBIQUE 13 When the going is rough, big potatoes come to the top USA 14 Stretch your legs according to the length of your bedspread LIBYA 15 God gives the wideness of the mouth according to the bigness of the spoon POLAND 16 The mouse is not crushed under the haystack SCOTLAND 17 Little houses have fat mice TANZANIA 18 Those who have a great nose think everyone speaks of it SCOTLAND 19 The longer the spoke, the greater the tire USA 20 Little crows have the largest beaks BELGIUM 21 The more naked the jackal the larger the tail SOUTH AFRICA 22 Your fingers can’t be of the same length CHINA 23 The cobra knows its length NAMIBIA 24 It ain’t over till the fat lady sings USA 82 LITTLE SIZE 1 Every little bird has a long beak NAMIBIA 2 A little spark shines in the dark FRANCE 3 A little dog is really brave in front of his master’s house HAITI 4 A little wood will heat a little oven ENGLAND 5 Little kettles soon boil over ESTONIA 6 Proverbs are little gospels SPAIN 7 Precious ointments are put in small boxes FRANCE 8 On a level road a small stone upsets the cartload ESTONIA 9 Dynamite comes in small packages USA 10 Small termites collapse the roof ETHIOPIA 83 BIG v LITTLE 1 A big crop is best, but a little crop will do SCOTLAND 2 Big hammers don’t play with little nails GERMANY 3 The biggest help is help, and even the smallest help is help IRELAND 4 A viper is a viper, whether big or small SLOVENIA 5 Big oaks from little acorns grow ENGLAND 6 Law is a spider’s web; big flies break through but the little ones are caught HUNGARY 7 Little crows have the largest beaks BELGIUM 8 Little houses have fat mice TANZANIA 9 The smaller the lizard, the greater its hope of becoming a crocodile ETHIOPIA 10 A little nest is warmer than a big nest IRELAND 11 Those who do not wish little things do not deserve big things BELGIUM 12 The more you squeeze a nettle the less it stings GERMANY 13 You must take the little potato with the big potato IRELAND 84 DISTANCE 1 The broth from a distance grows cool on the road KENYA 2 Thin ice and thick ice look the same from a distance USA 3 Better do a good deed near at home than go far away to burn incense CHINA 4 The apple does not fall far from the apple-tree ALBANIA 5 Far waters cannot quench near fires CHINA 6 The seagull sees furthest who flies highest FRANCE 7 The absent get farther off every day JAPAN 8 It is easy to lie about a far-off country ETHIOPIA 9 One must draw back in order to leap further FRANCE 10 The sigh goes further than the shout SCOTLAND 11 Pride only goes the length one can spit REPUBLIC OF CONGO 12 A bad word whispered will echo a hundred miles CHINA 13 Every mile is two in winter ENGLAND 14 Don’t believe those who come from afar, but those who return from it SPAIN 15 Don’t run too far; you will have to come back the same distance FRANCE 16 Those who have to go ten miles must regard nine as only halfway GERMANY 17 A rich person’s sickness and a poor person’s pancake are smelt a long way off BELGIUM 85 NEARNESS 1 Don’t snuff the light too close, or you will burn your fingers DENMARK 2 The world is dark an inch ahead JAPAN 3 The higher the castle the nearer to the lightning RUSSIA 4 Eve is nearer to us than Adam SERBIA 5 In chess the fools are nearest the kings FRANCE 6 Far waters cannot quench near fires CHINA 7 Better do a good deed near at home than go far away to burn incense CHINA 8 Don’t hold the dime so near your eye that you can’t see the dollar USA 9 Pretty near ain’t quite USA 10 The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat ENGLAND 11 A quarrel in a neighbouring house is refreshing INDIA 12 They that get the next best are not ill off SCOTLAND 13 Cleanliness is next to godliness ENGLAND 14 People scratch where they can reach KENYA 15 A fly before one’s own eye is bigger than an elephant in the next field CHINA 16 Sweetest the grass next to the ground WALES 86 LONG – SHORT 1 Among the ten fingers there are long and short CHINA 2 A long beard does not prevent a house going to bed hungry CAMEROON 3 Every little bird has a long beak NAMIBIA 4 Between two points one cannot draw more than one straight line DENMARK 5 There is bound to be a knot in a very long string KENYA 6 The longer the spoke, the greater the tire USA 7 However long the procession, it always returns to the church PHILIPPINES 8 A rich person’s sickness and a poor person’s pancake are smelt a long way off BELGIUM 9 There is no light burden on a long road CHINA 10 One must measure to know which is longer KOREA 11 If the string is long the kite will fly high CHINA 12 Stretch your legs according to the length of your bedspread LIBYA 13 Short hair is soon brushed GERMANY 14 Long hair – short brains MONTENEGRO 87 MIDDLE – ENDS 1 ‘Virtue in the middle,’ said the devil as he sat between two lawyers NORWAY 2 In the middle of the river do not change horses PERU 3 From the midst of the wood the hatchet gets its handle GERMANY 4 When the bed is small lie in the centre SPAIN 5 No needle is sharp at both ends CHINA 6 Give to no one the end of the thread TURKEY 7 If a string has one end, then it has another end CHINA 8 When you pick up a stick at one end, you also pick up the other end USA 9 Don’t burn your candle at both ends ENGLAND 10 You can’t expect both ends of a sugar cane to be as sweet CHINA 88 WIDE – NARROW 1 Wider will the cow-dung be for trampling on it WALES 2 Although the river is broad there are times when boats collide CHINA 3 Not even Apollo keeps his bow always at full stretch LATIN 4 Thin ice and thick ice look the same from a distance USA 5 The autumn chill is the first thing felt by a thin person CHINA 6 Tangled hair needs a wide comb SERBIA 7 God gives the wideness of the mouth according to the bigness of the spoon POLAND 8 The cow which has the loudest bellowing has the slenderest tail IRELAND 9 The thinnest bread finds itself married to bread ALGERIA 10 Only thin dogs become wild MADAGASCAR 89 HAIRS – THREADS 1 Abundance will make cotton pull a stone NIGERIA 2 Even a hair has a shadow CZECH REPUBLIC 3 Even in the freshest of milk you will still find hairs MALI 4 The third strand makes the cable NETHERLANDS 5 Give to no one the end of the thread TURKEY 6 A hot needle burns the thread C?TE D’IVOIRE 7 A cloth is not woven from a single thread CHINA9 SUCCINCTNESS (#ulink_9e6e7618-3c26-54ae-b624-f0c7359cfd42)The succinctness of a proverb derives from a number of features – length of sentence, length of word, and structural balance.Proverbs are typically short: the average number of words per proverb in this collection is 8.7. There are several of just four words:Still waters run deep.Waste not, want not.And sometimes fewer:Pigs might fly.Money talks.Most English proverbs contain four main units of sense – a trend which is also found in the translated items:There’s many a slip between cup and lip.Speech is silver; silence is golden.A stitch in time saves nine.A rolling stone gathers no moss.What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.That miller is honest who has hair on his teeth.There is a heavy reliance on monosyllabic words:If the shoe fits, wear it.A black hen can lay a white egg.Those who bring good news knock hard.Words of two or three syllables are common enough, but it is very unusual to find longer words:Procrastination is the thief of time.Familiarity breeds contempt.Longer proverbs usually break down into a series of short components with parallel structure:If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want a hundred years of prosperity, grow people.The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now. 8 The first thread is not part of the yarn IRELAND 9 Where the needle goes the thread must follow POLAND 10 One thread for the needle, one love for the heart SUDAN 11 A needle cannot hold two threads or a mind two thoughts ETHIOPIA 90 HIGH – LOW 1 Ambition and fleas jump high GERMANY 2 If the string is long the kite will fly high CHINA 3 There is no slope above without a slope below SPAIN 4 Only when all contribute their firewood can they build up a good fire CHINA 5 The higher the castle the nearer to the lightning RUSSIA 6 Do not jump high under a low ceiling CZECH REPUBLIC 7 The seagull sees furthest who flies highest FRANCE 8 Do not lift the club too high, it may fall on your head FINLAND 9 You won’t help shoots grow by pulling them up higher CHINA 10 When you sweep the stairs, you start at the top GERMANY 11 A frog beneath a coconut shell believes there is no other world MALAYSIA 12 Even if water flows in all directions, the sand will remain at the bottom GEORGIA 13 Those who lie on the ground have no place from which to fall LATIN 14 If you bow at all, bow low CHINA 15 A low stump upsets the sledge FINLAND 16 Falling hurts least those who fly low CHINA 17 They must stoop who have a low door SCOTLAND 18 Everyone leaps the dyke where it’s lowest SCOTLAND 19 Strawberries ripen sooner in a low wood than in a high one ESTONIA 20 Who sits under a pear-tree will eat pears BULGARIA 21 Under trees it rains twice SWITZERLAND 22 Never look an auto bargain under the hood USA 23 The mouse is not crushed under the haystack SCOTLAND 24 Not every abyss has a parapet GERMANY 25 When in love, a cliff becomes a meadow ETHIOPIA 91 DEPTH 1 Even deep water-holes may get dry SOUTH AFRICA 2 Only those who have travelled the road know where the holes are deep CHINA 3 Still waters run deep ENGLAND 4 When you want to test the depth of a stream, don’t use both feet CHINA 5 Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet NAMIBIA 6 The water is shallowest where it babbles WALES 7 The dragon in shallow water becomes the butt of shrimps CHINA 8 Thin ice and thick ice look the same from a distance USA 9 People carrying elephant’s flesh on their head should not look for crickets underground NIGERIA 10 Every flood will have an ebb SCOTLAND 92 HILLS – MOUNTAINS 1 There is no hill without a slope WALES 2 The more one walks the more hills one sees FINLAND 3 There must be a valley between two hills GERMANY 4 A horse never goes straight up a hill USA 5 Anyone may laugh on a hillside SCOTLAND 6 All hillbillies don’t live in the hills CANADA 7 The highest hill is usually covered with clouds SCOTLAND 8 Those who think they are building a mound may only in reality be digging a pit CHINA 9 Mediocrity is climbing molehills without sweating ICELAND 10 To fill a ditch a mound must come down ARMENIA 11 If you don’t scale the mountain, you can’t see the plain CHINA 12 Mountains cannot meet, people can BULGARIA 13 Standing on top of one mountain, the other mountain is higher CHINA 14 Even if you cannot climb the mountain do not remain in the valley GERMANY 15 There are many paths to the top of the mountain – but the view is always the same CHINA 16 The boat of affection ascends even mountains BANGLADESH 17 Rein in the horse at the edge of the cliff CHINA 18 It is no use trying to tug the glacier backwards CHINA 93 TOP – BOTTOM 1 In rivers and bad government, the lightest things swim at the top USA 2 There are many paths to the top of the mountain – but the view is always the same CHINA 3 When the going is rough, big potatoes come to the top USA 4 At the bottom of the bag one finds the bill NETHERLANDS 5 A basket with its bottom burst is useless NIGERIA 6 Even the bottom of a basket finds something to hold MADAGASCAR 7 One pebble doesn’t make a floor NIGERIA 8 If you try to sit on two chairs, you’ll sit on the floor USA 9 At the foot of the lighthouse it is dark JAPAN 94 HOLDING 1 Everything has two handles GREECE 2 From the midst of the wood the hatchet gets its handle GERMANY 3 The basket that has two handles can be carried by two EGYPT 4 A handleless axe does not scare the forest BULGARIA 5 You cannot hold two water melons in one hand IRAN 6 A small bed will not hold two persons NIGERIA 7 A needle cannot hold two threads or a mind two thoughts ETHIOPIA 8 Whoever holds the ladder is as bad as the thief GERMANY 9 When you pick up a stick at one end, you also pick up the other end USA 10 When you have no companion, consult your walking-stick ALBANIA 95 SUPPORT 1 Failures are the pillars of success WALES 2 The eyes close in sleep, but the pillow remains awake MALAYSIA 3 It is not common for hens to have pillows SCOTLAND 4 The rod that will hang him is still growing IRELAND 5 All the keys in the land do not hang from one girdle SCOTLAND 6 Some hang out more than they wash USA 7 Bread is the staff of life, but the pudding makes a good crutch SCOTLAND 8 Promise is a bridge of words, unsafe to walk across GERMANY 96 TABLES – CHAIRS 1 When the cat’s not home, the mice jump on the table NETHERLANDS 2 You can’t eat a square meal off a round table USA 3 At a round table every seat is first GERMANY 4 If you try to sit on two chairs, you’ll sit on the floor USA 5 Those who have free seats at a play hiss first CHINA 6 Don’t be breaking your shin on a stool that’s not in your way IRELAND 7 One sits best on one’s own bench NORWAY 8 A good buttock finds a bench for itself ESTONIA 97 UPRIGHT – FALLING 1 An empty bag cannot stand upright ENGLAND 2 An empty sack can’t stand, nor a dead cat walk IRELAND 3 One never falls but on the side towards which one leans FRANCE 4 Those who place their ladder too steeply will easily fall backwards CZECH REPUBLIC 5 A low stump upsets the sledge FINLAND 6 On a level road a small stone upsets the cartload ESTONIA 7 There’s no such thing as a horse that can’t be rode or a cowboy that can’t be throwed USA 98 OUTSIDE – INSIDE 1 Don’t snap your fingers at the dogs before you are outside the village FRANCE 2 A gardener’s flirtations take place outside the garden AFGHANISTAN 3 The candle is put into the lantern and the moth is left outside fluttering IRAN 4 There’s more room outside than inside CANADA 5 The shell is needed till the bird is hatched RUSSIA 6 Do not fill your basket with useless shells of coconuts KENYA 7 The beauty of the corn cob is apparent on the inside only KENYA 8 When hunger gets inside you, nothing else can NIGERIA 9 The sun cannot shine into an inverted bowl CHINA 10 Those who come too late find the platter turned over NETHERLANDS 11 A frog beneath a coconut shell believes there is no other world MALAYSIA 12 There’s more room outside than inside CANADA 99 COVERING 1 The highest hill is usually covered with clouds SCOTLAND 2 Every cloud has a silver lining ENGLAND 3 If one finger is gashed, all the fingers are covered with blood REPUBLIC OF CONGO 4 If you go to the wedding you cover up the sledge ESTONIA 5 The one who was surprised by a turtle is surprised by a pot cover KOREA 6 One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade CHINA 7 Big tree but no shade PHILIPPINES 8 The woman who sells fans often shades her eyes with her hands CHINA 9 Send your charity abroad wrapped in blankets ENGLAND 10 That which is said at table should be wrapped up in the tablecloth ITALY 11 Paper can’t wrap up a fire CHINA 100 CLOTHING 1 Even a silk shirt only clothes a naked body GERMANY 2 Those whose mother is naked are not likely to clothe their aunt SUDAN 3 New clothes have no lice NAMIBIA 4 Dress slowly when you are in a hurry FRANCE 5 Those who have two garments do not wear one only ZANZIBAR 6 Only God helps the ill-dressed SPAIN 7 People sell their rags in their own market EGYPT 8 The more naked the jackal the larger the tail SOUTH AFRICA 9 Clothes put on while running come off while running ETHIOPIA 101 BODYWEAR 1 You must go behind the door to mend old breeches ENGLAND 2 A protector is like a cloak HAITI 3 The borrowed cloak never warms SYRIA 4 Hunger doesn’t say, ‘Stale bread,’ and cold doesn’t say ‘Old coat.’ GEORGIA 5 When someone’s coat is threadbare, it is easy to pick a hole in it ENGLAND 6 Cut your coat according to your cloth ENGLAND 7 One spot spots the whole dress BELGIUM 8 The forest is the poor person’s fur-coat ESTONIA 9 A padded jacket is an acceptable gift, even in summer JAPAN 10 Raindrops can’t tell broadcloth from jeans USA 11 A cat with mittens won’t catch mice SCOTLAND 12 Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve CHINA 13 Habit is a shirt that we wear till death RUSSIA 14 Even a silk shirt only clothes a naked body GERMANY 15 Never trust a fellow that wears a suit USA 16 You can’t catch trout with dry trousers USA 17 Money cries in one’s pocket ESTONIA 18 Who has God for his friend has all the saints in his pocket ITALY 19 A shroud has no pockets SCOTLAND 20 Those who have an egg in their pocket do not dance GABON 21 Everyone buckles their belt their own way SCOTLAND 22 All the keys in the land do not hang from one girdle SCOTLAND 23 The wife of the amber-turner wears pearls of glass IRAN 102 FOOTWEAR 1 The boot must put up with the dirt GERMANY 2 The cobbler always wears the worst shoes FRANCE 3 Let the cobbler stick to his last ENGLAND 4 When walking through your neighbour’s melon-patch, don’t tie your shoe CHINA 5 A handsome shoe often pinches the feet FRANCE 6 Those who wait for a dead person’s shoes are in danger of going barefoot FRANCE 7 Walk as your shoes will let you SCOTLAND 8 Better a crease in the shoe than a blister on the toe ESTONIA 9 One cannot shoe a running horse NETHERLANDS 10 You can get used to anything except a rock in your shoe USA 11 If the shoe fits, wear it ENGLAND 12 Those who go barefoot aren’t pinched by their shoes GERMANY 13 Even a young foot finds ease in an old slipper SCOTLAND 103 HEADWEAR 1 Why should someone without a head want a hat? CHILE 2 A head without a brain has no need of a hat SPAIN 3 A hat is not made for one shower ENGLAND 4 A man’s hat in his hand never did him any harm SCOTLAND 5 The circumstances of people will appear from the condition of their hat SRI LANKA 6 If the cap fits, wear it ENGLAND 104 WEAVING 1 The loom that’s awry is best handled patiently SCOTLAND 2 Everyone must spin on their own spinning wheel ESTONIA 3 A cloth is not woven from a single thread CHINA 4 Don’t stand by the water and long for fish; go home and weave a net CHINA 5 The spider does not weave its web for one fly SLOVENIA 6 Law is a spider’s web; big flies break through but the little ones are caught HUNGARY 7 If it weren’t for the wind the spiders would web the sky SERBIA 8 Stretch your legs according to the length of your bedspread LIBYA 9 Send your charity abroad wrapped in blankets ENGLAND 10 If you pick the fluff from a blanket it comes to pieces INDIA 11 A blanket becomes heavier as it becomes wetter INDIA 12 That which is said at table should be wrapped up in the tablecloth ITALY 105 BETWEEN 1 Between two points one cannot draw more than one straight line DENMARK 2 ‘Virtue in the middle,’ said the devil as he sat between two lawyers NORWAY 3 There must be a valley between two hills GERMANY 4 It is hard to swim between two stretches of bad water NETHERLANDS 5 There’s many a slip between cup and lip ENGLAND 106 WALLS 1 Better a neighbour over the wall than a brother over the sea ALBANIA 2 Courteous asking breaks even city walls UKRAINE 3 One family builds the wall; two families enjoy it CHINA 4 Walls hear without warnings ENGLAND 5 Silent worms bore holes in the wall JAPAN 6 A dog in desperation will leap over a wall CHINA 7 Someone who stands behind a wall can see nothing else JAPAN 8 Do not tear down the east wall to repair the west CHINA 9 To get out a rusty nail you must take away a piece of the wall MALTA 107 EDGES 1 Rein in the horse at the edge of the cliff CHINA 2 The grub eats round the edges of the leaves NEW ZEALAND 3 It is easy to hurt yourself on a stone that has sharp corners KOREA 4 A bird with a beautiful plumage doesn’t sit in the corner CAMEROON10 LOCAL WORDS (#ulink_a3bb40e4-a7e9-57a6-b2d2-08661f4d1cc6)Proverbs are not known for their lexical inventiveness. They use everyday words and display very few unusual word coinages. If we encounter unfamiliar vocabulary, it is usually because the words are archaic, are from a local dialect, or relate to a culture that has disappeared.Those who will have a cake out of the wheat must tarry the grinding. (tarry = wait for)A burnt bairn dreads the fire. (Scotland and Northern England)A quick sixpence is better than a slow shilling. (old money system)Different international dialects of English sometimes make their presence felt. The distinctive identity of American English can be heard in these examples from the present collection:No matter how you slice it, it’s still baloney.Never look an auto bargain under the hood.Puttin’ feathers on a buzzard won’t make it no eagle.Don’t shuck your corn till the hogs come home.Don’t holler before you’re hurt.Every train has a caboose.SEE ALSO Nonstandard language 5 The dogs will go into the corner that’s open SCOTLAND 6 All countries are frontiers SOUTH AFRICA 7 One cannot ski so softly that the traces cannot be seen FINLAND 8 The laden almond-tree by the wayside is sure to be bitter JAPAN 108 ENCLOSURES 1 Silence is a fence round wisdom GERMANY 2 There is no fence that does not let the wind through CHINA 3 Do not protect yourself by a fence, but by your friends CZECH REPUBLIC 4 Everyone pushes a falling fence CHINA 5 The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence ENGLAND 6 If you want to catch a wild horse, find a tight corral HAITI 7 Everyone leaps the dyke where it’s lowest SCOTLAND 8 A fly before one’s own eye is bigger than an elephant in the next field CHINA 9 The sun shines on both sides of the hedge ENGLAND 10 Those who plant a hedge round their garden invite it to be jumped RUSSIA 11 Love your neighbour, yet pull not down your hedge ENGLAND 12 There is no limit to looking upward JAPAN 109 IN FRONT – BEHIND 1 To know the road ahead, ask those coming back CHINA 2 The world is dark an inch ahead JAPAN 3 Let everyone sweep before their own door GERMANY 4 There’s a puddle at every door, and before some doors there are two SCOTLAND 5 Don’t put the cart before the horse ENGLAND 6 Those who haven’t seen a church bow before a fireplace POLAND 7 Advice should be viewed from behind and not from in front SWEDEN 8 It is no use standing with an open mouth in front of an oven DENMARK 9 It is better to be once in the church sleigh than always in the back runners FINLAND 10 If the swing goes forward it will go backward too SRI LANKA 11 When two ride on one horse one must sit behind ENGLAND 12 Someone who stands behind a wall can see nothing else JAPAN 13 Leave a good name behind in case you return KENYA 14 You must go behind the door to mend old breeches ENGLAND 15 On going into a church leave the world behind the door SPAIN 16 The hindermost ox also reaches the kraal SOUTH AFRICA 110 SIDES 1 The reverse side has its reverse side JAPAN 2 The sun shines on both sides of the hedge ENGLAND 3 You can only go halfway into the darkest forest; then you are coming out the other side CHINA 4 The water is the same on both sides of the boat FINLAND 5 There is no bridge without a place the other side of it WALES 6 One never falls but on the side towards which one leans FRANCE 7 The other side of the road always looks cleanest ENGLAND 8 A canoe is paddled on both sides NIGERIA 9 The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence ENGLAND 10 It is folly to put flour into a bag facing the wind GERMANY 11 Practice with the left hand while the right hand is still there LIBERIA 12 Someone without a friend is like the right hand without the left BELGIUM 13 Don’t buy a left-hand monkey-wrench CANADA 111 BUILDING 1 A chattering bird builds no nest CAMEROON 2 One family builds the wall; two families enjoy it CHINA 3 Communities begin by building their kitchen FRANCE 4 To build, one must have two purses BELGIUM 5 A house is not built on earth, but on a woman SERBIA 6 Those who cannot build the dyke should hand over the land NETHERLANDS 7 Those who think they are building a mound may only in reality be digging a pit CHINA 8 When the house is built the carpenter is forgotten INDIA 9 A clever bird builds its nest with other birds’ feathers ZIMBABWE 10 If you are building a house and a nail breaks, do you stop building or do you change the nail? RWANDA AND BURUNDI 11 Rome was not built in a day ENGLAND 12 You may know a carpenter by his chips ENGLAND 112 STRAIGHT – BENT – CROOKED 1 Between two points one cannot draw more than one straight line DENMARK 2 Dull scissors can’t cut straight USA 3 There is a time to squint, and a time to look straight SCOTLAND 4 Carrying-poles which bend easily do not break CHINA 5 Those who know how to bend the fish-hook know how to straighten it TANZANIA 6 Those who cannot cut the bread evenly cannot get on well with people CZECH REPUBLIC 7 A crooked log makes a good fire FRANCE 8 How can there be a forest without a crooked tree? BULGARIA 9 Think not because the cane is bent the sugar is crooked too MALAYSIA 10 In crooked wood one recognizes the artist TOGO 11 Crooked furrows grow straight grain CANADA 12 One camel does not make fun of another camel’s hump GUINEA 113 ROUNDNESS 1 When you eat a round cake, do you begin at the centre? NIGERIA 2 At a round table every seat is first GERMANY 3 All that is round is not a cake LIBYA 4 You can’t eat a square meal off a round table USA 5 Grief and joy are a revolving wheel INDIA 6 If my aunt had wheels, she might be an omnibus NETHERLANDS 7 Any spoke will lead the ant to the hub USA 8 The energy of the dung-beetle is put into rolling its ball of dung CHINA 114 PROMINENCES 1 The protruding nail will be pounded down JAPAN 2 Little crows have the largest beaks BELGIUM 3 Sparrows clean their beaks against the branch on which they sit ESTONIA 4 Every little bird has a long beak NAMIBIA 5 Those who are not in the habit of riding forget the spurs IRELAND 6 A low stump upsets the sledge FINLAND 115 HOLES 1 If it is your own lantern, do not poke holes in the paper CHINA 2 If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging USA 3 Dig a well before you are thirsty CHINA 4 The nail suffers as much as the hole NETHERLANDS 5 God preserve us from pitch-forks, for they make three holes SWITZERLAND 6 When someone’s coat is threadbare, it is easy to pick a hole in it ENGLAND 7 Those who think they are building a mound may only in reality be digging a pit CHINA 8 If you engrave it too much it will become a hole INDIA 9 Silent worms bore holes in the wall JAPAN 10 Different holes have different fish MALAYSIA 11 Only those who have travelled the road know where the holes are deep CHINA 12 The hollow of the ear is never full SENEGAL 13 The one who seeks revenge should remember to dig two graves CHINA 14 Even a mole may instruct a philosopher on the art of digging CHINA 116 SHARP THINGS 1 Where the needle goes the thread must follow POLAND 2 No needle is sharp at both ends CHINA 3 A hot needle burns the thread C?TE D’IVOIRE 4 One thread for the needle, one love for the heart SUDAN 5 A needle cannot hold two threads or a mind two thoughts ETHIOPIA 6 Better be stung by a nettle than pricked by a rose ENGLAND 7 The more you squeeze a nettle the less it stings GERMANY 8 That which is to become a good nettle must sting early SWEDEN 9 Never feed a dog with corn, nor attempt to pick your teeth with a pair of scissors CHINA 10 Dull scissors can’t cut straight USA 11 Even in the sheath the knife must be sharp FINLAND 12 Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger, but a heart as soft as tofu CHINA 13 It is easy to hurt yourself on a stone that has sharp corners KOREA 14 It takes a long time to sharpen a hammer made of wood NETHERLANDS 15 It is very difficult to beat a drum with a sickle NIGERIA 16 Beware of a person’s shadow and a bee’s sting MYANMAR 17 Bees that have honey in their mouths have stings in their tails FRANCE 18 If you run away from a mosquito the sharper will its sting be SLOVENIA 19 Those who want the rose must also take the thorns GERMANY 20 Use a thorn to extract a thorn INDIA 117 ROUGH – SMOOTH 1 The roughest stone becomes smooth when it is much rolled SWITZERLAND 2 A dry spoon scratches the mouth RUSSIA 3 Short hair is soon brushed GERMANY 4 Custom is rust that mocks at every file BOHEMIA 5 On a level road a small stone upsets the cartload ESTONIA 6 The roughest stone becomes smooth when it is much rolled SWITZERLAND 7 A smooth way makes the foot slip ESTONIA 8 If you pick the fluff from a blanket it comes to pieces INDIA 9 Better a crease in the shoe than a blister on the toe ESTONIA 10 Crooked furrows grow straight grain CANADA 118 OPENING – CLOSING 1 The cork is always bigger than the mouth of the bottle ESTONIA 2 An old story does not open the ear as a new one does NIGERIA11 PHONETIC STRUCTURE (#ulink_4eb90f1d-1edc-536f-8e61-177e9aaccb1c)The memorability of a proverb is considerably enhanced by its phonetic structure, especially in its use of repeated initial sounds (alliteration) and a balanced rhythm. These features are noticeable in the proverbs of all languages, though they are not always translatable. English proverbs on the whole make relatively little use of phonetic features, so that when they do occur, they stand out.AlliterationFull of courtesy, full of craft.There’s crust and crumb in every loaf.Metrical rhythmAbsence makes the heart grow fonder.Actions speak louder than words.RhymePray devoutly but hammer stoutly.A good cat deserves a good rat.Rhyme and rhythm combinedAn apple a day keeps the doctor away.No land without stones, or meat without bones. 3 To open a shop is easy; to keep it open is an art CHINA 4 If they do not open after three knocks, do not wait POLAND 5 Open your mouth before you eat MAURITANIA 6 The dogs will go into the corner that’s open SCOTLAND 7 The eyes close in sleep, but the pillow remains awake MALAYSIA 8 A closed mouth catches no flies ENGLAND 9 Nothing enters into a closed hand SCOTLAND 10 Steal a bell with your ears covered CHINA 11 Those who want the last drop out of the can get the lid on their nose NETHERLANDS 12 The devil makes pots, but not always lids ITALY: SARDINIA 13 Old purses shut badly NETHERLANDS 14 In buying horses and in taking a wife, shut your eyes tight and commend yourself to God ITALY 15 All are not asleep who have their eyes shut GERMANY 16 If two people tell you you are blind, shut one eye GEORGIA 17 If you want to catch a wild horse, find a tight corral HAITI 18 It’s no good locking the stable door after the horse is stolen ENGLANDSee also: 67 DOORS – WINDOWS – KEYS (#ulink_a1300cf3-af10-508e-ba8a-c6a71eaded59) 119 MOTION 1 When a man eats, his own beard moves and not another’s TOGO 2 As long as life lasts, the cow never stops moving its tail NIGERIA 3 Move your neck according to the music ETHIOPIA 4 The moon moves slowly, but it gets across the town C?TE D’IVOIRE 5 Pride only goes the length one can spit REPUBLIC OF CONGO 6 A boat does not go forward if everyone rows their own way KENYA 7 Driftwood never goes upstream USA 8 Dead fish go always with the stream ENGLAND 9 Where the needle goes the thread must follow POLAND 10 If the swing goes forward it will go backward too SRI LANKA 11 You must go behind the door to mend old breeches ENGLAND 12 The sigh goes further than the shout SCOTLAND 13 Money makes the world go round USA 14 The tongue always goes to the aching tooth BULGARIA 15 The fish does not go after the hook, but after the bait CZECH REPUBLIC 16 Who marches fast remains on the road ALBANIA 17 An army marches on its stomach FRANCE 18 You can’t slide uphill USA 19 Parents who are afraid to put their foot down will have children who step on their toes CHINA 20 A wolf does not step on the tail of a wolf ESTONIA 21 The rhinoceros which has no calf takes itself to the muddy pool SOUTH AFRICA 22 The paddle which you find in the canoe is the one that will take you across LIBERIA 23 A featherless arrow does not travel very far ZANZIBAR 24 Making preparations does not spoil the trip GUINEA 25 Words shake but examples attract SERBIA 26 When the going is rough, big potatoes come to the top USA 27 A quick nickel is better than a slow dollar USA 28 A quick sixpence is better than a slow shilling ENGLAND 120 STANDING STILL 1 The one on whose head we would break a coconut never stands still NIGERIA 2 Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still CHINA 3 Milk the cow that stands still ENGLAND 4 You never know your luck till the wheel stops USA 5 Still waters run deep ENGLAND 6 In a calm sea everyone is a pilot ENGLAND 7 Don’t get off the merry-go-round before it stops USA 8 Don’t get on the streetcar before it stops CANADA 121 COMING – GOING 1 Better go than send CHINA 2 One only goes to look at the prickly pear-tree when it is bearing fruit MEXICO 3 Better ask twice than go wrong once GERMANY 4 Let those who do not know what war is go to war CHINA 5 Before going to war say one prayer; before going to sea, two; before getting married, three POLAND 6 Those who seek a constant friend go to the cemetery RUSSIA 7 Who goes around the village long enough will get either a dog-bite or a dinner SERBIA 8 When a donkey is well off he goes dancing on ice CZECH REPUBLIC 9 If you go to the wedding you cover up the sledge ESTONIA 10 You can only go halfway into the darkest forest; then you are coming out the other side CHINA 11 Where everyone goes, the grass never grows GERMANY 12 Those who wait for a dead person’s shoes are in danger of going barefoot FRANCE 13 Where they like you, do not go often SPAIN 14 Better do a good deed near at home than go far away to burn incense CHINA 15 Signposts only show the road, they don’t go along it SWITZERLAND 16 If you want to go fast, go the old road MYANMAR 17 Don’t stand by the water and long for fish; go home and weave a net CHINA 18 Going slowly doesn’t stop one arriving GUINEA 19 What goes up must come down ENGLAND 20 Conversation is a ladder for a journey SRI LANKA 21 Only those who have travelled the road know where the holes are deep CHINA 22 If the swing goes forward it will go backward too SRI LANKA 23 Garbage in, garbage out USA 24 Every flood will have an ebb SCOTLAND 25 One must draw back in order to leap further FRANCE 26 Who plays at bowls must expect the ball returned NETHERLANDS 27 God, what things we see when we go out without a gun! SOUTH AFRICA 122 WALKING 1 Promise is a bridge of words, unsafe to walk across GERMANY 2 When walking through your neighbour’s melon-patch, don’t tie your shoe CHINA 3 An empty sack can’t stand, nor a dead cat walk IRELAND 4 Walk as your shoes will let you SCOTLAND 5 The more one walks the more hills one sees FINLAND 6 You have to learn to crawl before you can walk ENGLAND 7 Knock before crossing even a stone bridge KOREA 8 Don’t cross a bridge until you come to it ENGLAND 9 A cat may go to a monastery, but she still remains a cat ETHIOPIA 10 Those who have to go ten miles must regard nine as only halfway GERMANY 11 Those who go barefoot aren’t pinched by their shoes GERMANY 12 Fools rush in where angels fear to tread ENGLAND 13 Wider will the cow-dung be for trampling on it WALES 14 When you have trodden on the cat, what help is it to stroke her back? SWITZERLAND 123 RIDING 1 It is not enough for people to know how to ride; they must know how to fall MEXICO 2 When two ride on one horse one must sit behind ENGLAND 3 Sickness comes riding on horseback and goes away on foot BELGIUM 4 The toughest broncs is always them you’ve rode some other place USA 5 There’s no such thing as a horse that can’t be rode or a cowboy that can’t be throwed USA 6 Those who are not in the habit of riding forget the spurs IRELAND 7 A horse never goes straight up a hill USA 124 CARRYING 1 It takes little effort to watch someone carry a load CHINA 2 When a blind person carries the banner, woe to those who follow FRANCE 3 Let every pedlar carry his own pack GERMANY 4 A full cup must be carried steadily ENGLAND 5 You can’t carry what you can’t lift LATVIA 6 The dog barks, the wind carries ESTONIA 7 The one who carries the bludgeon owns the buffalo INDIA 8 The basket that has two handles can be carried by two EGYPT 9 People carrying elephant’s flesh on their head should not look for crickets underground NIGERIA 10 An anchored ship doesn’t carry much cargo USA 11 The shrimp that sleeps is carried away by the current CHILE 12 Those who are carried down the stream need not row ENGLAND 13 If you don’t hear the story clearly, don’t carry it off with you under your arm THAILAND 14 Carrying-poles which bend easily do not break CHINA 15 The absent always bear the blame NETHERLANDS 16 If all get into the palanquin, who will be the bearers? INDIA 17 Those who bring good news knock hard ENGLAND 18 Fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts LATIN 19 One buffalo brings mud and all the herd are smeared with it MALAYSIA 125 TRAVEL BY LAND 1 If you can’t drive your car, park it USA 2 A good driver turns in a small space FRANCE 3 Don’t quit until the hearse comes round USA 4 Never look an auto bargain under the hood USA 5 Before God and the bus-conductor we are all equal GERMANY 6 If you don’t have a ticket, you don’t ride USA 7 Don’t get on the streetcar before it stops CANADA 8 If my aunt had wheels, she might be an omnibus NETHERLANDS 9 Oats pull the cart out of the mud SERBIA 10 Don’t put the cart before the horse ENGLAND 11 It is easier to throw the load off the cart than to put it on CZECH REPUBLIC 12 If all get into the palanquin, who will be the bearers? INDIA 13 One broken rail will wreck a train USA 14 Every train has a caboose USA 15 Luck and bad luck are driving in the same sledge RUSSIA 16 A low stump upsets the sledge FINLAND 17 If you go to the wedding you cover up the sledge ESTONIA 18 It is better to be once in the church sleigh than always in the back runners FINLAND 19 Any spoke will lead the ant to the hub USA 20 A greased cartwheel does not squeak ESTONIA 21 The longer the spoke, the greater the tire USA 22 The wheel that does the squeaking is the one that gets the grease USA 23 Creaking wagons are long in passing NETHERLANDS 24 A fifth wheel in the wagon hinders more than helps FRANCE 25 The steam that blows the whistle never turns the wheel USA 26 Gossip needs no carriage RUSSIA 126 TRAVEL BY SEA 1 Before going to war say one prayer; before going to sea, two; before getting married, three POLAND 2 Better lose the anchor than the whole ship NETHERLANDS 3 An anchored ship doesn’t carry much cargo USA 4 Those who wish to learn to pray must go to sea ENGLAND 5 Those who go to sea without biscuits return without teeth FRANCE: CORSICA 6 Don’t quote your proverb until you bring your ship to port SCOTLAND 7 We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails GERMANY 8 It’s no wonder that the herring vessel smells of herring SCOTLAND 9 In a calm sea everyone is a pilot ENGLAND 10 One should not board a ship without an onion NETHERLANDS 11 You cannot damage a wrecked ship ITALY 12 Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar ENGLAND 127 TRAVEL BY RIVER 1 If you cross in a crowd, the crocodile won’t eat you MADAGASCAR 2 The hippo blocked up the ford, and no one could cross NIGERIA 3 Don’t call the alligator a big-mouth till you have crossed the river BELIZE 4 You cannot cross a river without getting wet SOUTH AFRICA 5 The first in the boat has the choice of oars ENGLAND 6 Row with the oars you have NETHERLANDS 7 A boat does not go forward if everyone rows their own way KENYA 8 Those who are carried down the stream need not row ENGLAND 9 No matter how long a log floats on the river it will never be a crocodile MALI 10 Do not put each foot on a different boat CHINA 11 No one can paddle two canoes at the same time SOUTH AFRICA 12 The water is the same on both sides of the boat FINLAND 13 Those who own the boat should give it a name NORWAY 14 The one who has taken the bear into the boat must cross over with him SWEDEN 15 Although the river is broad there are times when boats collide CHINA 16 On a slimy shore it is easy to push a canoe CAMEROON 17 The paddle which you find in the canoe is the one that will take you across LIBERIA 18 A canoe is paddled on both sides NIGERIA 19 When a canoe capsizes, everyone gets wet MADAGASCAR 20 Those who wait long at the ferry will get across some time SCOTLAND 21 A worn-out boat still has three thousand nails in it CHINA 22 The junk capsizes and the shark has its bellyful MALAYSIA 128 SWIMMING 1 Swimmers do not see their own back TOGO 2 Dogs do not know how to swim until the water reaches their ears UKRAINE 3 No matter how hard you throw a dead fish in the water, it still won’t swim REPUBLIC OF CONGO 4 It is hard to swim between two stretches of bad water NETHERLANDS 5 In rivers and bad government, the lightest things swim at the top USA 129 TRAVEL BY AIR 1 A featherless arrow does not travel very far ZANZIBAR 2 One bird in the dish is better than a hundred in the air GERMANY 3 Clumsy birds need early flight CHINA 4 The candle is put into the lantern and the moth is left outside fluttering IRAN 5 The fly flutters about the candle until at last it gets burnt NETHERLANDS 6 Falling hurts least those who fly low CHINA 7 The seagull sees furthest who flies highest FRANCE12 DRAMATIC PROVERBS (#ulink_95f48175-9831-5700-937f-e0c1a0f3e9c2)During the eighteenth century, a genre of drama based on the proverb emerged in France. The origins of these proverbes dramatiques are unclear, but their popularity at the time owes much to the French painter and architect Louis de Carmontelle (1717–1806). The audiences would be presented with a short drama containing clues that pointed to a particular proverb. The game was to guess the proverb. The genre was exploited in several European countries. Catherine the Great of Russia made up her own dramatic proverbs to be acted out by her court. The modern game of charades does something similar.In the nineteenth century, there was a further development, in the form of proverbes – a genre of comedy characterized by dialogue rather than action and with a proverb as its theme. The French poet Alfred de Musset (1810–57) wrote several such pieces, whose names speak for themselves:On ne badine pas avec l’amour (1834) – There’s no trifling with loveIl ne faut jurer de rien (1836) – You can’t be sure of anythingIl faut qu’une porte soit ouverte ou ferm?e (1845) – A door must be open or shutOn ne saurait penser ? tout (1853) – You can’t think of everything 8 Those who wait for roast duck to fly into their mouth must wait a very, very long time CHINA 9 God gives birds their food, but they must fly for it NETHERLANDS 10 You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from nesting in your hair CHINA 11 If the string is long the kite will fly high CHINA 12 Pigs might fly ENGLAND 13 There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots USA 14 A sparrow in the hand is better than a crane on the wing FRANCE 15 A lie has no legs, but a scandal has wings ENGLAND 16 When an ant gets wings it perishes SERBIA 17 Do not blame God for having created the tiger, but thank Him for not having given it wings ETHIOPIA 130 FAST 1 When in doubt, gallop FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION 2 It’s the tortoise that discounts the value of a pair of fast legs JAPAN 3 If you want to go fast, go the old road MYANMAR 4 Who marches fast remains on the road ALBANIA 5 Four horses cannot overtake the tongue CHINA 6 A child learns quicker to talk than to be silent NORWAY 7 Quick work – double work MONTENEGRO 8 They give twice who give quickly TURKEY 9 When the hands and the feet are bound, the tongue runs faster GERMANY 10 Slowness comes from God and quickness from the devil MOROCCO 11 Those who have not seen a hare run, must not speak of fear ITALY 12 Don’t run too far; you will have to come back the same distance FRANCE 13 ’Tis the one who runs that falls IRELAND 14 Clothes put on while running come off while running ETHIOPIA 15 One cannot shoe a running horse NETHERLANDS 16 What is the use of running when we are not on the right road? GERMANY 17 More haste, less speed ENGLAND 18 It is not enough to run; one must start in time FRANCE 19 When rats infest the palace a lame cat is better than the swiftest horse CHINA 131 SLOW 1 Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still CHINA 2 The mills of God grind slowly ENGLAND 3 Dress slowly when you are in a hurry FRANCE 4 Going slowly doesn’t stop one arriving GUINEA 5 You have to learn to crawl before you can walk ENGLAND 6 Slowly, slowly makes the slug arrive at the fountain RWANDA 7 Slowly but surely the excrement of foreign poets will come to your village MALI 8 Better keep under an old hedge than creep under a new furze-bush ENGLAND 9 Slowness comes from God and quickness from the devil MOROCCO 10 The moon moves slowly, but it gets across the town C?TE D’IVOIRE 132 STRIKING 1 A blow on the purse of another is like a blow on a sand-hill EGYPT 2 A good question is like one beating a bell CHINA 3 Although the river is broad there are times when boats collide CHINA 4 Chop, and you will have splinters DENMARK 5 Don’t shout before the birch-rod falls LATVIA 6 Education don’t come by bumping against the school-house USA 7 Even the best smith sometimes hits his thumb NETHERLANDS 8 Everything is possible, except to bite your own nose NETHERLANDS 9 Hit one ring and the whole chain will resound SOUTH AFRICA 10 If you pound palm-nuts, some will stain your cloth C?TE D’IVOIRE 11 It is very difficult to beat a drum with a sickle NIGERIA 12 Kick an attorney downstairs and he’ll stick to you for life SCOTLAND 13 Lightning never strikes twice in the same place ENGLAND 14 Many people are like clocks, they show one hour and strike another DENMARK 15 Never trust your back to a slap SCOTLAND 16 Pelt a dog with a bone and you will not offend him ITALY Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. 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