Читать книгу As They Say In Zanzibar - David Crystal, David Crystal - Страница 8

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 MOTTOESMany 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 CÔTE 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

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 THREEA 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

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 SHAKESPEAREThere are a large number of proverbial expressions in Shakespeare – which is hardly surprising, given the important role played by proverbs in Elizabethan schools.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’ 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 – CLIMATESome 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 TENSEProverbs, 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 CÔTE 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 CÔTE 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 TOGETHERA 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 CÔTE 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 CÔTE 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 PROVERBSProverbs 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 CÔTE 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 – ARTEFACTSVehicles, 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 CÔTE 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 CÔTE D’IVOIRE

7 A cloth is not woven from a single thread CHINA9 SUCCINCTNESSThe 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 WORDSProverbs 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 CÔTE 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 STRUCTUREThe 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

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 CÔTE 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