A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

BUSINESS is war

Modern saying, sometimes said to be of Japanese origin.

1905 New York Times 9 Apr. (online) That business is war is truer of nothing in

modern commerce than the railway business. 1984 New York Times 14 Nov. (online)

Declaring that ‘business is war’, Mr Tramiel also said his company was reducing prices..

$50 because competitors have become ‘greedy’. 2000 Linux Journal Aug. (online) Their

conceptual metaphors are ‘business is war’ and ‘markets are battlefields’. business

business see also EVERYBODY’S business is nobody’s business; PUNCTUALITY is the
soul of business.

busy see if you WANT something done, ask a busy person.

butter see (noun) the same FIRE that melts the butter hardens the egg; there are more
WAYS of killing a dog than choking it with butter; (verb) FINE words butter no parsnips.

buttered see the BREAD never falls but on its buttered side.

BUY in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest

1595 T. LODGE Fig for Momus H2 Buy cheape, sell deare. 1862 RUSKIN Unto this

Last II. 60 Buy in the cheapest market?—yes; but what made your market cheap?.. Sell in

the dearest?.. But what made your market dear? 1880 J. A. FROUDE Bunyan vii. ‘To buy

in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest’ was Mr. Badman’s common rule in

business. .. In Bunyan’s opinion it was knavery in disguise. buying and selling

You BUY land, you buy stones; you buy meat, you buy bones

Cf. 1595 Pedler’s Prophesy B4V You shall be sure to haue good Ale, for that haue no
bones.

1670 J. RAY English Proverbs 211 He that buys land buys many stones; He that