A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

(Marcin) #1
1558 W. BULLEIN Government of Health 50 V I should not staye my selfe vpon the
opinion of any one phisicion, but rather vpon three. .. The first was called doctor diet, the
seconde doctor quiet, the thirde doctor mery man. 1738 SWIFT Polite Conversation ii.
154 The best Doctors in the World, are Doctor Dyet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor
Merryman. 1909 Spectator 30 Jan. 175 A proverb prescribes for sickness Dr. Diet, Dr.
Quiet, and Dr. Merryman. The merry heart goes all the way in all but the worst
sicknesses. doctors; health

doer see EVIL doers are evil dreaders.

does see he who CAN, does; it’s DOGGED as does it; EASY does it; HANDSOME is as
handsome does; PRETTY is as pretty does.


Feed a DOG for three days and he will remember your kindness for three years; feed
a cat for three years and she will forget your kindness in three days


Japanese proverb. The variant Keep a dog.. is also found.

1892 L. HEARN ‘In a Japanese Garden’ in Atlantic Monthly July 26 Cats are
ungrateful. ‘Feed a dog for three days,’ says a Japanese proverb, ‘and he will remember
your kindness for three years; feed a cat for three years, and she will forget your kindness
in three days.’ 1921 C. VAN VECHTEN Tiger in the House 137 A Japanese proverb has it
that A dog will remember a three days’ kindness three years while a cat will forget a
three years’ kindness in three days. This may be regarded as a compliment to the
intelligence of the cat. 2007 ‘Sagara Likes Kaname?’ posting on
http://www.forums.animesuki.com 31 Jan. Maybe familiarity breeds attraction, in this case.
What is the Japanese saying? Feed a dog for three days and it becomes attached to you?
(shrug). animals; gratitude and ingratitude

Give a DOG a bad name and hang him

The principle is that a person’s plight is hopeless once his reputation has been blackened.
Similar to he that has an ILL name is half hanged.


1706 J. STEVENS Spanish & English Dict. s.v. Perro, We say, Give a Dog an ill
name and his work is done. 1721 J. KELLY Scottish Proverbs 124 Give a Dog an ill
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