Take away the Bees, and.. you shall have no Honey in the Hive,.. but there always will be
Honey where there are Bees. 1931 P. A. TAYLOR Cape Cod Mystery ix. It’d look.. like
they was something afoot, bein’ as how there’s bees where’s honey. associates;
diligencebeforehand see PAY beforehand was never well served.beget see LENGTH begets loathing; LOVE begets love.Set a BEGGAR on horseback, and he’ll ride to the DevilA proverb (now frequently used elliptically) with many variations, meaning that one
unaccustomed to power or luxury will abuse it or be corrupted by it.
1576 G. PETTIE Petit Palace 76 Set a Beggar on horsebacke, and he wyl neuer
alight. 1592 NASHE Pierce Penniless 1.174 These whelpes.. drawne vp to the heauen of
honor from the dunghill of abiect fortune, haue long been on horseback to come riding to
your Diuelship. 1616 T. ADAMS Sacrifice of Thankfulness 6 He that serues the Flesh
serues his fellow: And a Beggar mounted on the backe of Honour, rides post to the Diuell.
1669 W. WINSTANLEY New Help to Discourse 151 Set a Beggar on Horse-back, and he
will ride to the Devil. 1855 GASKELL North & South I. X. You know the proverb.. ‘Set a
beggar on horseback, and he’ll ride to the devil,’—well, some of these early
manufacturers did ride to the devil in a magnificent style. 1923 C. WELLS Affair at
Flower Acres ii. I should think your early days of forced economy would have taught you
not to be quite so extravagant. But there’s an old proverb—’Set a beggar on horse-back
—’ and so forth, that jolly well fits you. 1961 W. H. LEWIS Scandalous Regent X. He
had a good deal of the vulgarity and insolence of the beggar on horseback. good
fortune; pridebeggar see also SUE a beggar and catch a louse; if WISHES were horses, beggars would
ride.
BEGGARS can’t be choosersThe substitution of can’t for must not is a recent development. Cf. mid 15th-cent. Fr. qui
empruncte ne peult choisir, he who borrows cannot choose.
1546 J. HEYWOOD Dialogue of Proverbs I. X. D1 Folke say alwaie, beggers shulde