Clothes do not make the man
It is what is behind the man - that is, his character - that really matters. On the other hand, this is contradicted by The tailor makes the man... Read more →
Cleanliness is next to godliness
Cleanliness can be defined as 'diligence in keeping clean in person and dress'; and 'next to' means 'second only to'. Francis Bacon wrote in his... Read more →
Circumstances alter cases
Here 'case' has the meaning of situation, the position in which one finds oneself; and this position in the circumstances surrounding it. If the... Read more →
Christmas comes but once a year
Because the Christmas festival comes only once a year, it is suggested that we ought to be tolerant and overlook people’s riotous behaviour -... Read more →
Children should be seen and not heard
Children should be silent in the presence of their elders and not speak until they are spoken to. If only the kids would understand this!
The child is father of the man
This inversion of the natural order of things means that by studying the character of the child we can tell what sort of a man he is going to... Read more →
Cherchez la femme
This is one of those proverbs that have remained more common in their original form than in English translation. It is the French for 'Find the... Read more →
Charity covers a multitude of sins
By this we mean that some who give money away do so only to soothe their own uneasy consciences. But here again this is not the true meaning,... Read more →
Charity begins at home
This proverb is often used as an excuse for not helping those outside the family circle. 'I found myself being asked for subscriptions to so... Read more →
Caveat emptor
This is one of those proverbs that have remained more common in their original than in English translation. It is the Latin for LET THE BUYER... Read more →