A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

1672 T. SHADWELL Miser 46 Eat to live, not live to eat; as the Proverb says. 1912 A.

W. PINERO Preserving Mr. Panmure II. 85 I shall eat sufficient. .. But I eat to live; I

don’t live to eat. 2001 Country Life 20/27 Dec. 80 If I had to give a yes or a no to the old

question ‘Do you live to eat or eat to live?’ I should say yes to the first part. food and

drink

eat see also the CAT would eat fish, but would not wet her feet; DOG does not eat dog;
you cannot HAVE your cake and eat it; when the LAST tree is cut down,.. you will realize that
you cannot eat money; if you won’t WORK you shan’t eat.

eaten see REVENGE is a dish that can be eaten cold.

eating see APPETITE comes with eating; the PROOF of the pudding is in the eating.

eavesdroppers see LISTENERS never hear any good of themselves.

egg see as good be an ADDLED egg as an idle bird; the same FIRE that melts the butter
hardens the egg; you cannot make an OMELETTE without breaking eggs; there is REASON in
the roasting of eggs; don’t TEACH your grandmother to suck eggs.

Don’t put all your EGGS in one basket

Don’t chance everything on a single venture, but spread your risk. To put all one’s eggs in
one basket is commonly used as a metaphorical phrase.

1662 G. TORRIANO Italian Proverbial Phrases 125 To put all ones Eggs in a

Paniard, viz. to hazard all in one bottom [ship]. 1710 S. PALMER Proverbs 344 Don’t

venture all your Eggs in One Basket. 1894 ‘M. TWAIN’ Pudd’nhead Wilson in Century

Mag. XLVII. VI. 817 Behold, the fool saith, ‘Put not all thine eggs in the one basket’—

which is but a manner of saying, ‘Scatter your money and your attention’; but the wise

man saith, ‘Put all your eggs in the one basket and—watch that basket.’ 1967 RIDOUT &

WITTING English Proverbs Explained 46 Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. 2002

Washington Post 23 May E3 What part of ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket’ isn’t

clear? Putting all or most of your money into one stock is gambling, not investing.

prudence

eight see FALL down seven times, get up eight; SIX hours’ sleep for a man, seven for a