Proverbs one Flashcards
A bad settlement is better than a good lawsuit
We must take the bad with the good.
A bad workman blames his tools
It is not the tools we use which make us good but rather how we employ them.
A burnt child dreads the fire.
Somebody who has had an unpleasant experience thereafter shrinks from the cause of that experience.
A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.
You don’t lose anything by enlightening others.
A cat in gloves catches no mice.
If you are too careful and polite you may not get what you want.
A cat may look at a king.
We are all equals.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
A weak part or member will affect the success or effectiveness of the whole.
A cheerful wife is the spice of life
Choose a wife by your ear than your eye.
A civil question deserves a civil answer
If somebody asks you something politely, you should respond in the same manner.
A close shave
To narrowly escape disaster
A drowning man will clutch at a straw.
A man in extreme difficulty will try anything which seems to offer even the slightest help to extricate himself.
A faint heart never won a lady.
A shy or timid person must be bold to attract the woman he likes.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Someone who acts unwisely with money will soon lose it.
A fool is ever laughing
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
A friend is best found in adversity.
If one is in good circumstances many people pose as friends to have the benefits of friendship but only the true ones remain friends in adversity.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
A friend who helps you when you need help is a true friend.
A golden bit does not make the horse any better.
An ugly thing will remain ugly even if its appearance is taken care of.
A good begining makes a good ending.
Starting properly ensures the speedy completion of a process. A begining is often blocked by one or more obstacles the removal of which may ensure the smooth course of the process.
A good mind possesses a kingdom
Material assets are fleeting, but intellectual assets will basically stay with you for the rest of your life.
A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
People who know they have done wrong reveal their guilt by the things they say or the way they interpret what other people say.
A half truth is a whole lie
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A hedge between keeps friends green
It is best to have some sort of wall towards your neighbors.
A leopard can’t change his spots.
You cannot change someone’s basic human nature.
A little hard work never hurt or killed anyone.
One should expect to do hard
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Knowing little about something may make someone believe they know and therefore make bad choices.
A live dog is better than a dead lion
It is better to be a live coward than a dead hero.
A man is known by the company he keeps.
You often take after those around you.
A man best fortune or his worst is a wife.
A married man’s financial situation, his success or failure in business is influenced by his wife.
A miss is as good as a mile.
To miss success by a small amount is the same as missing it by a large amount
A new broom sweeps clean.
We should never use an old tool when the extra labor un consequence costs more than a new one.
A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse.
To a person who is ready to understand or undertake something, any subtle signalling of it is sufficient. The context is usually of some undertaking that is borderline illegal or of sexual innuendo.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Money saved through spending wisely is just as valuable as the money that you earn by working.
A rolling stone gathers no moss
Someone who does not settle in one place rarely prospers
a rose by any other name would smell as sweet
What matters is what something is, not what it is called.
A rotten apple injures its companions.
one person who has a poor attitude can sour the attitudes or outlook of the others in the group
A staff is quickly found to beat a dog.
Someone who wants to be mean will find things to be mean no matter what.
A stitch in time saves nine.
A timely effort will prevent more work later.
A store is no sore
An object that seems useless now may be just what you need in the future.
A watched pot never boils.
Time feels longer when you are waiting for something to happen.
A wise man changes his mind, but a fool never does.
It is foolish to persist in the same opinion or course of action regardless of new information or different circumstances.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
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Act in haste, repent at leisure
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Actions speak louder than words.
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Admiration is the daughter of ignorance.
People often admire others about whom they only have incomplete knowledge.
All cats love fish but hate to get their claws wet.
One is often reluctant to take the risk, or to do the necessary work involved in getting something desirable.
All roads lead to Rome
Many different methods will produce the same result.
All good things must come to an end.
You can’t keep having good luck or fun forever.
All is fish that comes to the net.
Anything that comes along is accepted and turned to advantage.
All is fair in love and war.
Anything that you do in love or in war can be excused.
All is not lost that is in danger.
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All work and no joy makes Jack a dull boy.
Be sure to take brakes from work and do something entertaining as well.
All that glitters is not gold.
Many things that look attractive and valuable actually have no value at all.
All’s well that ends well.
If things are good at the end of some situation then we should be satisfied with these results.
An empty vessel makes the most noise.
It is not he who advertises for himself the most that can achieve the greatest results.
An ounce of discretionis worth a pound of wit.
Knowing when to refrain from making jokes is better than being able to make jokes all the time.
Any port in a storm
when one is having serious trouble, one must accept any solution, whether one likes the solution or not.
As the old cock crows, so crows the young.
Children generally follow the example of their parent, but imitate their faults more surely than their virtues.
As you make your bed, so you will sleep on it.
One has to accept the consequences of one’s actions, as any result is the logical consequence of preceeding actions.
As you sow you reap
The consequences are directly related to one’s actions.
Avoid evil and it will avoid thee.
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Bad news travels fast.
People are quicker to pass on bad news than good news.
Bark is worse than one’s bite.
Someone is not as bad-tempered as they appear.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Threatening does not always lead to action. Harsh words may disguise a different feeling, intention or ability.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Different people have different ideas about what’s beautiful.
Beauty is only skin deep.
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Beggars can’t be choosers.
1.Those in dire need must be content with what they get. 2If someone gives you something you asked for, you should not complain about what you get. 3.something that you say which means when you cannot have exactly what you want, you must accept whatever you can get
Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow
It is better to have a sure thing now than a possibility of more later.
Better bend than break.
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Better go about than fall into the ditch
Better put an end to a troublesome business than to be always vex’d with it.
Better is the enemy of good,
The aim for perfection or mastery might be in the way of progress.
Best is the enemy of good
If you are too ambitious and try to make something better than you are capable of, you may ruin it
Better safe than sorry.
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Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t
It may be better to endure a situation that you are accustomed to than to risk a change for something that may be worse.
Better to be a live dog than a dead lion.
It is better to be a live coward than a dead hero.
Better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.
It is better to be the leader of a small group than the follower of a bigger one.
Better untaught than ill taught.
It’s better not to learn something than to learn it badly.
Between the devil and the deep blue sea.
You have two choices or alternatives and both of them are unpleasant.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
Do not trust gifts or favours if they come from an enemy.
Beware of false prophets
The seemingly most respectable people are quite often scoundrels.; Evil people often act innocently.
Bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
Don’t risk losing something that you have by trying to get something that is not certain.
Birds of a feather flock together.
People who are similar often become friends or spend time together.
Bitter pills may have blessed effects
The remedy might be bitter but the cure might be wonderful.
Blood is thicker than water.
Family ties are stronger than other relationships.
Bloom where you are planted.
It is often best to build up upon the prowess and expertise you already have.
Bob’s your uncle.
‘Bob’s your uncle’ is an exclamation that is used when ‘everything is alright’ and the simple means of obtaining the successful result is explaine
Boys will be boys
You should not criticise boys or men for being adventurous or mischievous or noisy because that is how you should expect them to behave.
Burn not your house to rid it of the mouse.
It is often the fact that the cure remedy or solution leads to a worse problem than it originally was intended to solve.
Burning the candle at both ends.
Working for long hours without getting enough rest.
Carrying coals to Newcastle.
A pointless exercise.
Cat has nine lives.
Cats are very strong and can survive many accidents or problems.
Catch not the shadow and lose the substance.
We should not waste time on trivial aspects of a matter and neglect the essential matter itself.
Charity begins at home.
One should help one’s family or close friends before helping other people.
Children and fools speak the truth.
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Children should be seen and not heard.
Children should be quiet.
Children are uncertain comforts but certain cares.
Children are bound to cause their parents anxiety, and may or may not also bring them joy.
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Being a clean person is next in importance in life to having good moral values.
Close but no cigar.
You may be almost correct but you are still wrong.
Cobblers children are worst shod.
Working hard for others one may neglect one’s own needs or the needs of those closest to him.
Common fame is seldom to blame
one’s reputation is rarely wrong
Confidence begets confidence
Confidence spills over to your coworkers.
