A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

‘It’s seeing the gardens I—we—would have been going for,’ insisted Sloan, ‘Not the

luxury.’ ‘Quite right,’ said Leeyes, adding obscurely, ‘The nuts come when the teeth have

gone.’ old age; opportunity, missed

Whom the GODS would destroy, they first make mad

Cf. Trag. Graec. Fragm. Adesp. 296 (Nauck)
when divine anger ruins a man, it first
takes away his good sense; L. quos Deus vultperdere, prius dementat.

1611 JONSON Catiline V. 481 A madnesse, Wherewith heauen blinds ‘hem, when it

would confound ‘hem. 1640 G. HERBERT Outlandish Proverbs no. 688 When God will

punish, hee will first take away the understanding. 1817 BYRON Letter 2 Apr. (1976) V.

204 God maddens him whom ‘tis his will to lose, And gives the choice of death or

phrenzy—Choose! 1875 M. THOMPSON Hoosier Mosaics 180 Whom the gods would

destroy they first make mad. 1981 Daily Telegraph 24 July 4 Already Commonwealth

Finance Ministers have elected not to meet on New Zealand’s defiled soil. If greater

penalties follow, the Commonwealth will confirm that those whom the gods would

destroy they first make mad. fate and fatalism; fools

He that GOES a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing

c 1470 in Wright & Halliwell Reliquiœ Antiquœ (1841) I. 316 He that fast spendyth

must nede borowe; But whan he schal paye ayen, then ys al the sorowe. 1545 R.

TAVERNER tr. Erasmus’ Adages (ed. 2) 46V He that goeth a borowynge goeth a

sorowynge. 1836 MARRYAT Midshipman Easy I. viii. You had made your request for

the loan.. fully anticipating a refusal, (from the feeling that he who goes a borrowing goes

a sorrowing). 1925 S. O’CASEY Juno & Paycock III. 84 Ah, him that goes a borrowin’

goes a sorrowin’!.. An’ there isn’t hardly a neighbour in the whole street that hasn’t lent

him money on the strength of what he was going to get. 1995 American Spectator Feb. 82

Who goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing. Yes, the balanced-budget amendment is sort of

a dumb idea, because it can so easily be evaded by cunning congressional accounting.

borrowing and lending

What GOES around comes around

A modern proverb of US origin.

1974 E. STONE Donald writes no More xv. No one can say why Donald Goines and