First impressions are most lasting
We may have met a person many time since our first meeting, but his or her appearance as it struck us then is the one that lingers longest in... Read more →
Proverbs starting with letter F
First come, first served
This is the penalty of lateness. Those who arrive early get a better choice. 'I bought a lovely dress for two pounds at the sale,' Mary told her... Read more →
First catch your hare
You cannot cook and eat it until you have caught it, which may not be easy. Don't decide what you are going to do with a thing until it is in... Read more →
The first blow is half the battle
Whoever gets his blow in first catches his adversary at a disadvantage. Here, for the sake of example, is a description of a football... Read more →
Fingers were made before forks
Man used his fingers for eating before forks were invented. The proverb is quoted as an excuse for eating anything in one's fingers instead of... Read more →
Fine words butter no parsnips
This is another way of saying that Actions speak louder than words. High-flown declarations and airy promises are useless substitutes for... 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 →
Finding’s keeping
If this were taken as a general principal, it would be morally and legally wrong, but we must have a sense of proportion. To pick up a purse in... Read more →
A fault confessed is half redressed
If you have done something wrong and you admit it, you have gone a long way towards putting things right again. By acknowledging your mistakes... Read more →
Familiarity breeds contempt
Familiarity means 'close acquaintance'. In human relationships it may lead to undue intimacy, as when a master treats his servants with so much... Read more →