If ‘ifs’ and ‘ans’ where pots and pans …
If we could achieve our aims by merely wishing, life would be very easy. The archaic conjunction 'an' means the same as 'if'. It comes on one... Read more →
Harp not for ever on the same string
Don't keep on talking about the same thing or bringing up the same subject. Literally 'to harp' means to play the harp; figuratively 'to harp... Read more →
Fine feathers make fine birds
The chaffinch is much more than colourful and attractive than the house of sparrow, yet they are of the same family; they are both finches, and... Read more →
Eavesdroppers never hear any good of themselves
It doesn't do to be too curious or inquisitive. The projecting edges of the roof of a house are known as the 'eaves', and the space of ground... Read more →
Desires are nourished by delays
The proverb means, the longer we are kept waiting for something, the more we want it.
A cat has nine lives
This is another way of saying that a cat is much more likely to escape death then are most animals. It is too wily and agile to be taken by... Read more →
Barking dogs seldom bite
When a dog barks at you, this does not necessarily mean that he intends to bite you. He may be just exited or frightened of you. The proverb... Read more →
After a storm comes a calm
This optimistically suggests that, just as there is inevitably a calm after a storm, there must be something better after every piece of... Read more →
You cannot get water out of a stone
The proverb has the meaning of futility of trying to extract money from a person who either will not pay, or has not the money to pay with. It... Read more →
You cannot get blood out of a stone
Here 'blood' means human feeling and a 'stone' represents a hard-hearted person. The proverb refers to avarice; a man can be so full of greed... Read more →