A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

You can have TOO much of good thing

1483 B. BURGH Cato in Archiv (1905) CXV. 313 To much is nouht of any maner

thyng [too much of anything is nothing]. 1546 J. HEYWOOD Dialogue of Proverbs II. iv.

G4V Well (quoth I) to muche of one thyng is not good, Leaue of this. 1611 R.

COTGRAVE Dict. French & English s.v. Manger, A man may take too much of a good

thing. 1738 SWIFT Polite Conversation i. 77 Fie, Miss! you said that once before; and,

you know, Too much of one Thing is good for nothing. 1906 CHESTERTON Charles

Dickens iv. We believe that you can have too much of a good thing—a blasphemous

belief, which at one blow wrecks all the heavens that men have hoped for. 1985

Washington Post 2 Mar. A18 A more modestly sized delegation.. might have spared

Congress a certain ridicule. Mae West once said it was possible to have too much of a

good thing and it was wonderful. 1995 Washington Times 25 Apr. A17 Modern liberals

feel that a more tolerant society is good thing, and they are right. Yet, it is possible to

have too much of a good thing. excess; good things

tool see a BAD workman blames his tools.

tooth see the TONGUE always returns to the sore tooth.

top see there is always ROOM at the top.

touch see if you gently touch a NETTLE it’ll sting you for your pains.

He that TOUCHES pitch shall be defiled

Cf. APOCRYPHA Ecclesiasticus xiii. 1 (AV) He that toucheth pitch, shall be defiled
therewith.

1303 R. BRUNNE Handlyng Synne (EETS) 1. 6578 Who-so handlyth pycche

wellyng hote, He shalhaue fylthe therof sumdeyl [in some degree]. 1578 LYLY Euphues

1.250 He that toucheth pitche shall be defiled. 1710 S. PALMER Proverbs 249 Touch

Pitch and you’ll be Defil’d. .. There is Danger every Way in Ill Company. 1886 H.

CONWAY Living or Dead II. ix. The next two months of my life.. made me take a lower

and more debased view of the world. .. I was touching pitch, yet striving to keep myself

from being defiled. 1979 Listener 13 Sept. 345 The makers of the series believe that those

who meddle with pitch may be defiled. associates; example, good and bad