Common Ones / Familiar Proverbs Flashcards
You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs
There’s always a cost to doing something
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink
You can’t force someone to make the right decision
You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar
You’ll get what you want by being nice
When it rains it pours
Everything is going wrong at once
Well begun is half done
Getting a good start is important
Weather the storm
Go through something difficult
We see eye to eye
We agree
Waste not, want not
Don’t waste things and you’ll always have enough
Time is money
Work quickly
Through thick and thin
In good times and in bad times
Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
People who are morally questionable shouldn’t criticize others
There are clouds on the horizon
Trouble is coming
The pot calling the kettle black
Someone criticizing someone else he is just as bad
That ship has sailed
It’s too late
Snowed under
Busy
Shape up or ship out
Work better or leave
Run like the wind
Run fast
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Things are going from bad to worse
Once bitten, twice shy
You’re more cautious when you’ve been hurt before
On cloud nine
Very happy
Make hay while the sun shines
Take advantage of a good situation
Like two peas in a pod
They’re always together
Like riding a bicycle
Something you never forget how to do
Let sleeping dogs lie
Stop discussing an issue
Leave no stone unturned
Look everywhere
Know which way the wind is blowing
Understand the situation (usually negative)
Jump on the bandwagon
Follow a trend, do what everyone else is doing
It takes two to tango
One person alone isn’t responsible. Both people are involved.
It is always darkest before the dawn
Things are going to get better
It is a poor workman who blames his tools
If you can’t do the job, don’t blame it on others
He’s sitting on the fence
He can’t make up his mind
He’s off his rocker
He’s crazy
He’s not playing with a full deck
He’s dumb
Hear something straight from the horse’s mouth
Hear something from the person involved
He who laughs last laughs loudest
I’ll get you back for what you did
Have your head in the clouds
Not be concentrating
Haste makes waste
You’ll make mistakes if you rush through something
Go down in flames
Fail spectacularly
Get wind of something
Hear news of something secret
Get a second wind
Have more energy after having been tired
Fortune favours the bold
Take risks
Fit as a fiddle
In good health
Familiarity breeds contempt
The better you know someone the less you like him
Every dog has his day
Everyone gets a chance at least once
Don’t beat a dead horse
Move on, this subject is over
Cut the mustard
Do a good job
Curiosity killed the cat
Stop asking questions
Come rain or shine
No matter what
Calm before the storm
Something bad is coming, but right now it’s calm
Burn bridges
Destroy relationships
Bolt from the blue
Something that happened without warning
As right as rain
Perfect
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
You can prevent a problem with little effort. Fixing it later is harder.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Apples are good for you
A storm in a teacup
A big fuss about a small problem
A stitch in time saves nine
Fix the problem now because it will get worse later
A snowball’s chance in hell
No chance at all
A snowball effect
Events have momentum and build upon each other
A little learning is a dangerous thing
People who don’t understand something fully are dangerous
