One swallow does not make a summer
The swallow is a migratory bird, visiting Great Britain in April and leaving for warmer climes in September. As far as Great Britain is... Read more →
Proverbs starting with letter O
One pair of heels is often worth two pairs of hands
Usage associates heels with running. To take to one's heels is to make a hasty departure. This proverb, therefore, means that it is often better... Read more →
One of these days is none of these days
'I'll do one of these days.' This means that you propose to do whatever it is later on. The result is that it is never done at all.... Read more →
One must draw the line somewhere
To draw the line is to lay down a definite limit of action beyond which one refuses to go. The decision depends on ourselves, but it must be... Read more →
One must draw back in order to leap better
This teaches prudence. It is a quotation from an essay by Montaigne ('Il faut reculer pour mieux sauter') and has much the same meaning as Look... Read more →
One man’s meat is another man’s poison
Food that agrees with one person may have an injurious effect on another. In a wider sense one person may like what another hates. 'My sister... Read more →
One man sows and another reaps
One men does the work and another gets the benefit. A similar proverb is One beats the bush, and another catches the birds.
One lie makes many
The telling of the one lie forces us to tell more lies, and so we become more and more deeply involved.
One is never too old to learn
However much you know, there is always more to learn, and whatever your age, you can still increase your knowledge. Cicero refers to 'a zeal of... Read more →
One good turn deserves another
If someone has done you a kindness, you should do him a kindness in return. A boy was once able to help a circus elephant by stopping another... Read more →