No news is good news
Bad news is an urgent matter and people usually write off at once to tell their relatives or friends. Good news, of course, can be just as... Read more →
No names, no pack drill
Don't mention names in case anyone suffers. This is an Army saying. Pack drill is a form of punishment for offences against military... Read more →
No man is infallible
All of us are liable to make mistakes now and then. To err is human and Even Homer sometimes nods.
No man is indispensable
This is a proverb used often in business organisations. 'How we're going to get along without Mr Kennett I just can't imagine.' 'We'll manage... Read more →
No man is content with his lot
Here 'lot' means 'condition', 'share of worldly reward'. We are none of us satisfied with the way we have to live and the work we have to do.
No man is a hero to his valet
A valet is a manservant who attends to his master's person and to his clothes. He knows more about his master than anyone else does, since his... Read more →
No man can serve two masters
A man with two employers cannot be faithful to both. Nor can a man support two conflicting causes. The source is Matthew, vi, 24: 'No man can... Read more →
No gain without pain
This is a milder version of No cross no crown. This means simply that you are unlikely to achieve anything without some trouble or hardship.
No cross, no crown
Just as Christ could not achieve the Kingdom of Heaven without suffering crucifixion (on the Cross), so no one can expect to achieve anything... Read more →
No answer is also an answer
If you ask a person a question and he does not reply, his very silence is an answer in itself. 'Have you been playing about with my typewriter?'... Read more →