Oxford
Proverbs and Sayings
1. Absence makes the hear grow fonder: Separation
makes your love more intense.
2. There’s no accounting for taste: How difficult
it is to understand why somebody like somebody or something that you don’t like
at all.
3. If you can’t beat them, join them.
4. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: People
all have different ideas about what’s beautiful.
5. You’ve made your bed and you must lie on or
in it: You must accept the result of your action.
6. Beauty is only skin-deep: How a person
looks is less important than their character.
7. Beggars can’t be choosers: People say
beggars can’t be choosers when there’s no choice and somebody must be satisfied
with what’s available.
8. A bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush: It is better to keep something that you already have than to risk
losing it by trying to get much more.
9. Blood is thicker than water: Family relationships
are stronger than any others.
10. There’s one born every minute: Used to
say that somebody is very stupid.
11. When the cat’s away, the mice will play: People
enjoy themselves more and behave with greater freedom when the person in charge
of them is not there.
12. Every cloud has a silver lining: Every sad
or difficult situation has positive side.
13. Two’s company, three’s crowd.
14. Don’t count your chickens before they are
hatched.
15. All that glitters is not gold.
16. Better the devil you know (than the devil
you don’t): Used to say that it’s easier to stay in a bad situation that
you know and can deal with rather than to change to a new situation which may
be much worse.
17. The dye is cast: Used to say that an
event has happened or a decision has been made that can’t be changed.
18. Discretion is the better part of valour: You
should avoid danger and not take unnecessary risks.
19. Every
dog has its or his day: Everyone has good luck or success at some point in
their life.
20. Give a dog a bad name: When a person
already has a bad reputation, it is difficult to change it because others will
continue to blame or suspect him or her.
21. Why keep a dog and bark yourself? : If somebody
can do a task for you, there’s no point in doing it yourself.
22. The early bird catches the worm: The person
who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an
advantage over them.
23. The end justifies the means: Bad or unfair
methods of doing something are acceptable if the result of that action is good
or positive.
24. An Englishman’s home is his castle: (BrE) A
man’s home is his castle. (AmE): A person’s home is a place where they can
be private and safe and do as they like.
25. What the eye doesn’t see (the heart doesn’t
grieve over): If a person doesn’t know something that they would normally
disappear of, then it cannot harm them.
26. Familiarity breeds contempt: Knowing somebody
or something very well may cause you to lose admiration and respect for them or
it.
27. It is not over until the fat lady sings: Used
to say that a situation may still change, for example that a contest election
etc is not finished yet, and somebody still has a chance to win it.
28. A fool and his money are soon parted.
29. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread:
People will little experience try to do the difficult or dangerous things which
more experienced people wouldn’t consider doing.
30. There’s no fool like an old fool.
31. Forewarned is forearmed: If you know
about problems, dangers etc. before they happen, you can be better prepared for
them.
32. Two can play at the game: Used to tell
somebody who has played a trick on you and you can do the same thing to them.
33. Money doesn’t grow on trees.
34. Half a loaf is better than no bread.
35. When the going gets tough (the tough get
going): When conditions or progress become difficult, strong and determined
people work even harder to succeed.
36. All hands on deck or all hands to the pump:
Everyone helps or must help others in a difficult situation.
37. Many hands make light work.
38. More haste, less speed: (BrE) You’ll finish
doing something sooner if you don’t try to do it quickly because you will make
fewer mistakes.
39. Two heads are better than one: Used to
say that two people can achieve more than one person working alone.
40. He who hesitates is lost: If you do
delay in doing something you may lose a good opportunity.
41. Home’s where the heart is: A home is
where the people you love are.
42. Hope springs eternal: People never stop
hoping.
43. You can lead a horse to water, but you
can’t make it drink: You can give somebody the opportunity to do something,
but you can’t force them to do it if they don’t want to.
44. Ignorance is bliss: If you don’t know
about something, you can’t worry about it.
45. It’s an ill wind (that blows nobody any
good): No problem is so bad that it does not bring some advantage to
somebody.
46. Give somebody an inch ( and they will take
a mile or yard): Used to say that if you allow some people a small amount
of freedom or power they’ll see you as weak and try to take a lot more.
47. A leopard can’t change its spots: A
coal takes no other hue.
48. Don’t judge a book by its cover: Used to
say that you should not form an opinion about somebody or something from their
appearance only.
49. He who laughs last laughs longest: Used
to tell somebody not to be too proud of their present success because in the
end another person may be more successful.
50. Where there’s life, there is hope: In a
bad situation you must not give up hope because there is always a chance that
it will improve.
51. The lights are on but nobody is home: Used
to describe somebody who is stupid, not thinking clearly or not paying
attention.
52. Lightening never strikes in the same place
twice: An unusual or unpleasant event is not likely to happen in the same
place or to the same people twice.
53. Live and let live: Used to say that you
should accept other people’s opinions and behaviour even though they are
different from your own.
54. Live to fight another day: Used to say
that although you have failed or had a bad experience, you will continue.
55. One man’s meat is another man’s poison:
Used to say that different people different things; what are person likes very
much, another person does not like at all.
56. You can’t keep a good man down: A person
who is determined or wants something very much will succeed.
57. Marry in haste, (repent at leisure): A person
who marries quickly without really getting to know each other, may discover
late that they have made a mistake.
58. Money talks.
59. The more, the merrier.
60. Out of the mouths of babes and (sucklings):
Used when a small child has just said that seems very wise or clever.
61. Mud sticks: People remember and believe
the bad things they hear about other people, even if they are late shown to be
false.
62. Need must (when the Devil drives): In certain
situations it is necessary for you to do something that you do not like or
enjoy.
63. Great or tall oaks from little acorns grow:
Something large and successful often starts in a very small way.
64. You can’t make an omelette without breaking
eggs: You can’t achieve something important without causing a few small
problems.
65. Once bitten, twice shy: After an
unpleasant experience, you are careful to avoid something similar.
66. You are only young once: Young people
should enjoy themselves as much as possible because they will have to work and
worry later in their lives.
67. He who pays the piper calls the tune: The
person who provides the money for something can also control how it is spent.
68. In for a penny, in for a pound: Used to
say that since you are started to do something, it is worth spending as much
time or money as you need to in order to complete it.
69. People (who live) in glass houses should
not throw stones: You should not criticise other people because they will
easily find ways of criticising you.
70. Any port in a storm: If you are in
great trouble, you take any help that’s offered.
71. Pigs might fly: When pigs fly used to
show that you do not believe something will ever happen.
72. Possession is the nine tenths of the law:
If you already have or control something, it is difficult for somebody else to
take it away from you, even if they have a legal right to it.
73. Everyone has their price: You can
persuade anyone to do something by doing them more money or something that they
want.
74. The proof of the pudding is in the eating: You
can only judge if something is good or bad when you have tried it.
75. It never rains but it pours / (when it
rains, it pours): Used to say that when one bad thing happens to you, other
bad things happen soon after.
76. The road to hell is paved with good
intentions: It is not enough to intend to do good things. You must actually
do them.
77. Rob Peter to pay Paul: To take money
from one thing to use for something else.
78. When in Rome, (do as the Romans do): Used to say
that when you are in foreign country or a situation you are not familiar with,
you should behave in the way that the people around you behave.
79. A rose only other name would smell as
sweet: What’s important is what people or things are, not what they are
called.
80. Better safe than sorry: Used to say
that it is wiser to be careful than to act too quickly and do something you may
later wish you had not.
81. There is safety in numbers: Being in a
group makes you safe and makes you feel more confident.
82. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for
the gander: What are person is allowed to do, another person must be
allowed to do in a similar situation.
83. Least said soonest mended (BrE): A bad
situation will pass or be forgotten most quickly if nothing more is said about
it.
84. Never say die: Don’t stop hopping.
85. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours:
Used to say that if somebody helps you, you’ll help them, even if this is
unfair to others.
86. Share and share alike.
87. Silence is golden.
88. Let sleeping dogs lie: To avoid mentioning
a subject or something that happened in the past in order to avoid any problem
or arguments.
89. There’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip:
Nothing is completely certain until it really happens because things can easily
go wrong.
90. It is a small world: Used to express
your surprise when you meet somebody you know in an unexpected place, or when
you are talking to somebody and find out that you both know the same place.
91. (There is) no smoke without fire: Where
there is smoke, there is fire.
92. It takes all sorts (to make a world): Used
to say that you think somebody’s behaviour is very strange or unusual but
everyone’s different and likes different things.
93. The spirit is willing (but the flesh is
weak): You intend to do good things but you are too lazy, weak or busy to actually
do them.
94. One step forward, two steps back.
95. Still waters run deep: A person who
seems to be quiet or shy may surprise you by knowing a lot of or having deep
feelings.
96. The streets are paved with gold: Used to
say that it seems easy to make money in a place.
97. Nothing succeeds like success: When you
are successful in one area of your life, it often leads to success in other
areas.
98. One swallow does not make a summer: You
must not take too seriously a small sing that something is happening or will
happen in the future because the situation could change.
99. (You can’t) teach an old dog new tricks: You
can’t successfully make people change their ideas, methods of work etc, when
they have had them for a long time.
100. You can never tell / (You never can tell): You
can never be sure, for example, because things are not always what they appear
to be.
101. These things are sent to try us: Used to
say that you should accept an unpleasant situation or event because you can’t
change it.
102. (There is) no time like present: Present
is very precious and real.
103. Time
is money: Time is very valuable. So, we should not waste it.
104. (It)
does (exactly) what it says on the tin: Used to say that something is as
good or effective as it claims to be or that it really does what it claims to
do. This is used especially to compare publicity and ads with actual products.
105. A
troubled shared is a troubled halved.
106. Truth
is stranger than fiction: Used to say that things that actually happen are
more surprising than stories that are invented.
107. The
truth will out.
108. One
good turn deserves another: You should help somebody who has helped you.
109. Never
the twain shall meet: Used to say that two things are so different that
they cannot exist together.
110. Variety
is the spice of life: New and exciting experiences make life more
interesting.
111. Nothing
ventured, nothing gained.
112. A watched pot never boils: Used to say
that when you are important for something to happen, time seems to pass very
slowly.
113. There
are no two ways about it: It shows that you are certain about something.
114. There
is more than one way to skin a cat: There are many ways to achieve
something.
115. All
work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy): It is not healthy to spend all
your time working you need to relax too.
116. The
warm will turn: A person who is normally quiet and doesn’t complain will
protest when the situation becomes too hard to bear.
117. Two
wrongs do not make a right: Used to say that if somebody does something bad
to you, the situation will not be improved by doing something bad to them.
118. Waste not, want not: If you don’t waste
anything, poverty will not run after you.
119.
Necessity knows no law.
120. A little learning is a dangerous thing:
A person with little knowledge is very dangerous.
121. A friend in need is a friend indeed: A
person who stretches his helpful hands to other who is in trouble can be termed
as real friend.
122. Pride goes before fall: Pride brings
about destruction.
123.
Charity begins at home.
124.
Where there is a will; there is a way.
125. To kill two birds with one stone: To
realise two things at the same with a single idea.
126.
It takes two to make a quarrel.
127. All’s well that ends well: Finishing
judges the end.
128. No pains, no gains: If you don’t take
risk, you cannot be successful in life.
129.
To add insult to injury.
130.
Eat, drink and be merry.
131.
Empty vessels sound much:
132. Hunger is the best sauce: When you need
anything very much, you will certainly take it whether the thing is good or
not.
133. Let by-gones be by-gones: Past is no
good to us. So forget the past events.
134.
Practice
makes a man perfect: Practice can almost refine anything.
135. All that glitters is not gold:
Appearances are always misleading.
136.
Out of sight; out of mind.
137.
Everybody is wise after the event.
138. Birds of the same feather flock together: It indicates the sameness of two or more
things or people.
139.
To build castle in the air: Dream.
140. Might is right: If you have power, you
can do anything by dint of it.
141.
Strike the iron while it is hot.
142.
Habit is the second nature.
143.
Many a little makes a mickle.
144.
To live from
hand to mouth: Live poorly.
145.
Riches have wings.
146.
Something is
better than nothing: A loaf is better than no loaf.
147. A bad workman quarrels with his tools:
A cunning person always finds faults with the things around him than his
faults.
148. Many
men, many minds: Each and every man has his own likeing that does not match
with one another.
149.
Oil your won machine.
150.
Grapes are sour.
151.
Morning shows the day.
152.
Penny wise, pound foolish.
153.
A bolt from the blue.
154.
Do or die.
155.
Death defies doctors.
156.
The wearer best knows where the shoe pinches.
157.
As you sow, so you reap.
158.
A blessing in disguise.
159. A stitch in time saves nine: If we
don’t do anything in time, we have to repent in the long run.
160.
Fortune
favours the brave: The brave are always fortunate.
161.
Self-help is the best help: It is you who can help
you greater than other people.
162.
Grasp all, lose all.
Md. Saiful Alam
B. A. Honours and M. A. in English
Lecturer of English
Queen’s College, Dhaka
E-mail: suman64924@gmail.com
My affectionate Readers,
Please, never hesitate to comment and any correction or
suggestion regarding my writings will be largely appreciated and valued and you can ask me any grammatical questions regarding English.
I promise I would try my level best to assist you, all. Thank you very much.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment