What will Mrs. Grundy say?
What will the neighbours say? As is mentioned under We are all slaves of opinion, our actions are influenced by what other people may say or... Read more →
What the eye doesn’t see the heart doesn’t grieve over
We are not worried by things that go on without our knowledge. For example, if the chef in a restaurant makes a practice of spitting in the... Read more →
What soberness conceals, drunkenness reveals
A sober man keeps a guard on his tongue, holding back anything he wishes to hide. Strong drinks unseals his lips and he tells everything. A... Read more →
What one loses on the swings one makes up on the roundabouts
The proprietor of a fair ground does not mind running his swings at a loss if his roundabouts bring him in a handsome profit. He can afford to... Read more →
What must be must be
We have no alternative but to bow to the inevitable. It is a philosophical acceptance of things as they are.
What may be done at any time is done at no time
This is another way of saying One of these days is none of these days. 'I'll do it one of these days.' This means that you propose to do... Read more →
What man has done, man can do
Once a thing has been done, however difficult or dangerous it may be, it can be done again. Take, for example, the example, the exploration of... Read more →
What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is my own
This is a skit on the quotation from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure: 'What's is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine.' A similar saying... Read more →
What is worth doing is worth doing well
This is treated under If a thing is worth doing it is worth doing well.
What is the good of a sundial in the shade?
A sundial tells the time only when the sun is shining upon it. If it is placed where the sun cannot reach it, it will never tell the time. The... Read more →