Weblog writing

Saturday, 17 July 2010

English Proverbs

A "proverb" is a short, traditional saying in general use. It usually expresses some obvious truth or familiar experience. Here are some proverbs that are well known in English, though some of them come from other languages. The meanings given are generally accepted meanings, though other interpretations may be possible.

"The best things in life are free."

We don't have to pay for the things that are really valuable, like love, friendship and good health.

"A stitch in time saves nine."

Repair something as soon as it is damaged. That's a small repair job. If not, you will have a much bigger and more expensive repair job later. Do it now and you'll need one stitch. Do it later and you'll need 9 stitches! (Why nine and not eight or ten? Because "nine" rhymes,approximately. with "time".)

* stitch (noun) = a link made with thread in sewing
* in time = not late

"Still waters run deep."

Some rivers have rough surfaces with waves. That's usually because the water is shallow and there are rocks near the surface. But deep rivers have no rocks near the surface and the water is smooth and still. "Still waters run deep" means that people who are calm and tranquil on the outside, often have a strong, "deep" personality.

* still (adjective) = calm, motionless
* deep (adjective) = going far down

"He teaches ill, who teaches all."

The unusual structure of this proverb may make it difficult to understand. It becomes easier if we change the structure to "He who teaches all teaches ill." The word "ill" here means "badly". So it means that the teacher who teaches students everything, does not teach well. A good teacher lets students discover some things for themselves.

* ill (adverb) = badly

"You can't take it with you when you die."

When we die we leave everything on earth. We don't take anything with us. Even the richest people cannot take their money with them after death. This proverb reminds us that some material things are not really so valuable as we think.

"Better untaught than ill taught."

This proverb drops the verb "to be". But we understand: "It is better not to be taught at all than to be taught badly." It's better not to learn something than to learn it badly. This idea is echoed in Pope's famous line: "A little learning is a dang'rous thing;".

* taught = past participle of verb "teach" (here used in passive voice)
* ill taught = badly taught

"Don't cross your bridges before you come to them."

Don't worry about problems before they arrive.

"Soon learnt, soon forgotten."

Something that is easy to learn is easy to forget.

"Even a worm will turn."

Everybody will revolt if driven too far. Even the lowest of people, or animals, will revolt and hit back at some stage. Even a worm, the simplest of animals, will defend itself.

* worm (noun) = small thin animal with soft body and no bones or legs
* turn (verb) = revolt, fight back

"It was the last straw that broke the camel's back."

There is a limit to everything. We can load the camel with lots of straw, but finally it will be too much and the camel's back will break. And it is only a single straw that breaks its back - the last straw. This can be applied to many things in life. People often say "That's the last straw!" when they will not accept any more of something.

* straw (noun) = dried stalk of grain (like dry piece of grass)
* camel (noun) = large long-necked animal used for riding and carrying goods in the desert

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Many women have won a man's love by cooking delicious meals for him. They fed his stomach and found love in his heart.

* way (noun) = path; route

"If the stone fall upon the egg, alas for the egg! If the egg fall upon the stone, alas for the egg!"

Life just isn't fair, and this realistic Arabic proverb recognizes that. The stone will always break the egg. Life's like that!

* alas = bad luck; pity; tough; regrettable

"Where there's a will there's a way."

If we have the determination to do something, we can always find the path or method to do it.

* will (noun) = strong determination, desire.
* way (noun) = path, method

"Marry in haste, and repent at leisure."

If we get married quickly, without thinking carefully, we may be sorry later. And we will have plenty of time to be sorry.

* in haste = quickly
* repent (verb) = feel sorry, regret
* at leisure = slowly, over time

"One tongue is enough for a woman."

Some people think that women talk too much. If they already talk too much, they don't need another tongue. One tongue is sufficient. This proverb is another way of saying that women talk too much.

* tongue (noun) = large, movable fleshy part in the mouth that we use for talking and tasting

"If you wish good advice, consult an old man."

Old people have a lot of experience. If you want to have good advice or recommendations, ask an old person, not a young one.

* wish (verb) = want, desire
* advice (noun) = recommendation as to what to do
* consult (verb) = ask; go to for advice or information

"The best advice is found on the pillow."

If we have a problem, we may find the answer after a good night's sleep. People also often say: "I'll sleep on it."

* advice (noun) = recommendation as to what to do
* pillow (noun) = cushion that you rest your head on while you sleep

"All clouds bring not rain."

We can rephrase this: "Not every cloud brings rain." And that's true. Sometimes there are many clouds in the sky, but it doesn't rain. Sometimes it's the same with problems, or what we think are problems.

"You can't tell a book by its cover."

We need to read a book to know if it's good or bad. We cannot know what it's like just by looking at the front or back cover. This proverb is applied to everything, not only books.

"Bad news travels fast."

"Bad news" means news about "bad" things like accidents, death, illness etc. People tend to tell this type of news quickly. But "good news" (passing an exam, winning some money, getting a job etc) travels more slowly.

"No news is good news."

This is like the proverb "Bad news travels fast." If we are waiting for news about someone, it's probably good if we hear nothing because "bad news" would arrive quickly.

"Live and let live."

This proverb suggest that we should not interfere in other people's business. We should live our own lives and let others live their lives. The title of the famous James Bond story Live and Let Die was a play on this proverb.

"Birds of a feather flock together."

"Birds of a feather" means "birds of the same type". The whole proverb means that people of the same type or sort stay together. They don't mix with people of another type.

* feather (noun) = part of the soft, light covering of a bird's body
* flock (verb) = gather in a crowd

"Tell me who you go with and I'll tell you who you are."

Similar to "Birds of a feather...", this proverb suggests that like minds stick together.

Tuesday, 8 June 2010

slang(hand)
hand over
pass on something
Before I leave, I have to hand over all my work

get out of hand
become impossible to manage
You'll have to deal with this problem before it gets out of hand

have your hands full
be very busy
I can't do anything about it now - my hands are full.

in hand
under control
The company report is in hand - you'll have it next week

live hand to mouth
only earn enough money for food
After he lost his job, he had to live hand to mouth for a couple of months

have someone in the palm of your hand
have influence over someone
He's got her in the palm of his hand

be caught red-handed
The children were caught red-handed picking the flowers

slang(finger)

butter fingers
be clumsy and drop things
You've dropped my vase! Butter fingers!

keep your fingers crossed
wish something for someone
Keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow - it's my job interview

look through ones fingers
I looked through him finger when I saw him

under your thumb
control someone
She's got him under her thumb - he won't do anything without asking her first

slang(feet&legs)
put your foot in it
say or do something you shouldn't
I think I've put my foot in it - I told her about the party

have itchy feet
not able to settle down in one place
She's going off travelling again - she's got really itchy feet

keep someone on their toes
keep someone alert
Our teacher keeps us on our toes - we have to pay attention in class

stand on your own two feet
be independent
I don't need your help - I can stand on my own two feet

have two left feet
be awkward or clumsy
He's a terrible dancer - he's got two left feet

walk on eggshells
be careful about what you say or do
She's in a terrible mood - you'll have to walk on eggshells around her

foot the bill
pay the bill
He had to foot the bill for the party

slang(back)
go behind someone's back
do something secretly
She went behind my back and told my boss I wanted a new job

back off
stop trying to force someone to do something
Will you just back off and let me decide what I should do!"

back down
accept defeat
He finally backed down and let me buy a pet rabbit."

back someone up
support someone
Thank you for backing me up in the meeting

put your back into something
work very hard at something
She put her back into it and got good results

stab someone in the back
betray someone
Be careful of him - he'll stab you in the back if it gets him what he wants

Ebabay.com

slang(food)
be the apple of someone's eye
be someone's favorite person
She's the apple of her father's eye

be as nice as pie
be extremely nice and charming, so that you can fool
people
She can be as nice as pie, but don't trust her

eat humble pie
have to take back what you said, because you have been
proved wrong
He'll have to eat humble pie now. Serve him right - he
tried to make us all look bad

have your fingers in every pie
be involved in many different things
You can't do anything without him knowing - he has his
fingers in every pie

a piece of cake
be extremely simple
This program is a piece of cake to use

sell like hot cakes
sell quickly in large quantities
His book is selling like hot cakes

full of beans
be full of energy
You're full of beans today - it's nice to see you so
lively

beef about something
complain about something
He's always beefing about the pay

beef something up
give something extra appeal=increase in size or number
If we beef up the window display, more people might come
into the shop

be your bread and butter
be your main source of income
Although they run a taxi service, car sales are their
bread and butter

be like chalk and cheese
be completely different
I don't know why they got married - they're like chalk and cheese

cheesy
predictable and unimaginative
I don't want to see that film again - it's really cheesy

sour grapes
say something bad because you didn't get what you wanted
Don't listen to him complain - it's only sour
grapes
because you got the job and he didn't

to play gooseberry
go somewhere with a couple who would prefer to be on their own
I'd rather not come to the cinema with you two - I'd just
feel I was playing gooseberry.

a couch-potato
someone who never goes out or exercises
He watches TV all day - what a couch-potato

like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth
appear innocent
When I asked her about the missing money, she tried to
look like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth

bring home the bacon
earn money for necessary things, like food
He brings home the bacon in that family

the way the cookie crumbles
the way things are
I'm sorry I didn't get the promotion, but that's the way
the cookie crumbles

have someone eat out of your hand
have control over someone
He has her eating out of his hand - it's sad

eat someone out of house and home
eat a lot of food
Her children eat her out of house and home

eat into your savings
spend some of your savings
We can't afford a new car, unless we eat into our savings

eating for two
be pregnant and so eating more
Good news, darling. The doctor says I'm eating for two now

eat your heart out!
telling someone they should be jealous of you
I'm going on holiday to Jamaica - eat your heart out!

not your cup of tea
something that you don't like much
Football isn't my cup of tea

a square meal
a filling meal
You need a square meal after all that exercise

it smells fishy
something that is suspicious
He wants to do all the housework for you? That smells
fishy to me

small fry / small beer
something or someone unimportant
Sales last year are small fry compared to now - we're
doing really well.

roll out the barrel
prepare to have a good time
Roll out the barrel - we're celebrating our exam results

rhubarb, rhubarb
saying something completely unimportant There's that
politician again on television - rhubarb, rhubarb