Still waters run deep
'Shallow brooks murmur most, deep silent slide away,' wrote Sir Philip Sidney. The fact that a man says little does not mean that he does not... Read more →
Proverbs with the word Water
A mill cannot grind with the water that is past
This has two meanings: (a) The mill can be turned only by the water that is passing through it now. The water that turned it yesterday cannot... Read more →
It is good fishing in troubled waters
Trout and other fish are more easily caught when the surface of the water is disturbed. Figuratively, 'to fish in troubled waters' is to take... Read more →
You may lead a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink
You may be acting in the best interests of the horse by taking him to the trough, but if he doesn’t want to drink is not going to – and... Read more →
Don’t pour out the dirty water before you have clean
In countries where water is in short supply it has to be carefully and sparingly used. By extension the proverb means that you should not... Read more →
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water
In achieving your aim (of pouring away the bath water), make sure you don't do something else (pouring away the baby) that more than cancels out... Read more →
Blood is thicker than water
Unlike blood, water soon evaporates when it is spilt, and leaves no trace afterwards. Figuratively 'blood' means 'relationship'. When we say... Read more →
Water is a boon in the desert, but the drowning man curses it
In this life we either have too little of what we do want, or too much of what we don't want or can't use. The same thought is to be found in... 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 →