A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

don’t get SOMETHING for nothing; SOMETHING is better than nothing; the SUN loses
nothing by shining into a puddle.

notice see LONG foretold, long last.

There’s NOWT so queer as folk

Nowt is a dialect variant of ‘nought’ i.e. ‘nothing’.

1905 English Dialect Dict. IV. 304 There’s nowt sae queer as folk, Old saying. 1939

J. WOOD Letter 30 May in J. Chambers Letters (1979) 186 I trust you.. find plenty of

interest in people & their doings. Really ‘there is nowt so funny as folk’. 1955 R. E.

MEGARRYMiscellany-at-Law I. 72 There is the infinite charm and variety of human

nature itself: ‘there’s nowt so queer as folk.’ 1993 B. D’AMATO Hard Women xxi. 243

‘You never really know anything about people. As LJ sometimes says, “There’s nowt so

strange as folk.” It’s not like you can work people out on a chessboard.’ 2002 Oldie Apr.

57.. and his creed that everyone is good copy. Or, as they would put it up North, that

there’s nowt so queer as folk. idiosyncrasy

nowt see also when in DOUBT, do nowt; HEAR all, see all, say nowt.

number see there is LUCK in odd numbers; there is SAFETY in numbers.

nut see the GODS send nuts to those who have no teeth.