A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

1647 Mercurius Elencticus 26 Jan.-2 Feb. 76 The old Proverb is, Hearkners never heare good of them selves. 1678 J. RAY English P ...

knowledge. 1711 POPE Essay on Criticism 1. 215 A little Learning is a dang’rous Thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spri ...

A LITTLE pot is soon hot A small person is easily roused to anger or passion. 1546 J. HEYWOOD Dialogue of Proverbs I. xi. D2 It ...

great ones escape. 1979 Daily Telegraph 22 Nov. 18 In view of the Blunt affair, I am reminded of the proverb, ‘Little thieves ar ...

170 Live and let live, i.e. Do as you would be done by. Let such pennyworths as your Tenants may live under you. 1762 SMOLLETT S ...

hol hounde Then a ded lyon.. And better is pouert with godnes Then richesse with wikkedness. 1566 J. BARTHLET Pedigree of Hereti ...

He who LIVES by the sword dies by the sword Other weapons may be substituted for the sword, as in quot. 1997. With allusion to M ...

loaf see HALF a loaf is better than no bread; a SLICE off a cut loaf isn’t missed. loathing see LENGTH begets loathing. local se ...

c 1576 T. WHYTEHORNE Autobiography (1961) 23 Hy women be layzy and low be lowd, fair be sluttish, and fowll be proud. 1591 J. FL ...

perseverance long see also (adjective) ART is long and life is short; be the DAY weary or be the day long, at last it ringeth to ...

pines.’ 1990 F. LYALL Croaking of Raven vi. 2. 64 ‘.. when I was training my old boss used to say: “If in doubt take the long ro ...

1983 M. GILBERT Black Seraphim vi. They say that the onlooker sees most of the game. It’s not a very happy game that’s being pla ...

lose see also a BLEATING sheep loses a bite; LEND your money and lose your friend; the SUN loses nothing by shining into a puddl ...

LOVE and a cough cannot be hid Cf. L. amor tussisque non celantur, love and a cough cannot be concealed. a 1325 Cursor Mundi (EE ...

who’s smooth to thee. 1812 E. NARES I’ll consider of It iii. ‘Love’ says the proverb, ‘produces love.’ 1909 A. MACLAREN Epistle ...

1865 ‘L. CARROLL’ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ix. ‘“Oh, ‘tis love, ‘tis love that makes the world go round!”’ ‘Somebody sai ...

a 1607 T. DELONEY Gentle Craft (1648) I. XV. Thus love you see can finde a way, To make both Men and Maids obey. 1661 ‘T. B.’ (t ...

in odd numbers,’ says Rory O’More. 1883 J. PAYN Thicker than Water I. i. She was.. by no means averse to a third experiment in m ...

M Where MACGREGOR sits is the head of the table The proverb is sometimes attributed to Robert MacGregor of Campbell (’Rob Roy’: ...

Mahomet see if the MOUNTAIN will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain. MAKE hay while the sun shines 1546 J. HEY ...