Commonly used proverbs and sayings.pdf

Commonly-Used Proverbs & Sayings

absence makes the heart grow fonder

- being away from someone makes you like him or her even more

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and when the young man went away to

university he missed his girlfriend even more.

actions speak louder than words

- what you do is more important than what you say

The politician promised to do many things but he never did anything. But actions

speak louder than words and he lost the next election.

all good things must come to an end

- an enjoyable experience ends

All good things must come to an end and we soon had to return home from our

holiday.

all is fair in love and war

- anything that you do in love or in war can be excused

All is fair in love and war the man thought when he asked his colleague for a date.

all's well that ends well

- if things are good in the end then we should be satisfied (from Shakespeare's play

All's Well That Ends Well )

All's well that ends well and although the storm was very bad the children arrived

home safely.

Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com

all roads lead to Rome

- the same end or goal may be reached by many different ways

All roads lead to Rome and the two groups used two different methods to finish the

project.

all that glitters is not gold

- many things that look attractive and valuable actually have no value at all

The man learned that all that glitters is not gold when he invested his money in the

stock market and lost much of it.

all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

- it is not healthy to spend all of your time working and never relaxing or playing

The parents always wanted their child to study and did not realize that all work and no

play makes Jack a dull boy.

any port in a storm

- when someone is faced with an emergency he or she will accept help from any

source and in any place - even from someone who they do not like

There was a bad storm so the ship went to the nearest port. It was any port in a storm.

bad news travels fast

- people are quicker to pass on bad news than good news

Bad news travels fast and the man heard about the job layoffs a week before the

official announcement.

a bad workman blames his tools

- someone blames his tools or the material that he is working with for his own bad

work

The carpenter was angry that his saw did not cut well. As often happens, a bad

workman blames his tools.

Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com

bark is worse than one's bite

- someone is not as bad-tempered as they appear

The supervisor was always threatening to fire anyone who was late but he never did

anything. His bark was worse than his bite.

beauty is only skin deep

- looks are superficial and sometimes a beautiful person may have unpleasant

characteristics

The woman is not beautiful but beauty is only skin deep and her personality is

wonderful.

beggars can't be choosers

- one should not criticize something that one gets for free

Beggars can't be choosers and the girl should not complain about the free furniture

that she got from a friend.

better late than never

- it is better to do something late than to never do it at all

The boy finally got a job after not working for three years but at least it was better late

than never.

better safe than sorry

- it is better to be careful than to take a chance and risk an accident or illness or a

failure which you may regret

It is better to be safe than sorry and I always bring my umbrella to work when it is a

cloudy day.

Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com

better the devil you know than the devil you don't

- it may be better to endure a situation that you are accustomed to than to risk a

change for something that may be worse

My friend wanted to change banks but he felt that it was better the devil he knew than

the devil he didn't so he stayed with his old bank.

between the devil and the deep blue sea

- you have two choices or alternatives and both of them are unpleasant

We are between the devil and the deep blue sea. If we increase our prices we won't

sell our products. If we lower our prices we will lose money.

bird in hand is worth two in the bush

- do not risk losing something that you have by trying to get something that is not

certain

"You should accept the job offer with the lower salary now rather than waiting for a

better job. Remember that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush."

birds of a feather flock together

- people who are similar often become friends or spend time together

The four boys were similar in every way and a good example that birds of a feather

flock together.

blind leading the blind

- someone who has little ability or knowledge but is trying to help or teach someone

else

It was the blind leading the blind when the teacher who could not cook was asked to

teach the cooking class.

Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com

blood is thicker than water

- family ties are stronger than other relationships

Blood is thicker than water and the man chose to help his family rather than his

friends.

boys will be boys

- you should not criticize boys or men for being adventurous or mischievous or noisy

because that is how you should expect them to behave

Boys will be boys and the two brothers always come home very dirty.

cat has nine lives

- cats are very strong and can survive many accidents or problems

The president of the small country survived crisis after crisis just like a cat with nine

lives.

charity begins at home

- one should help one's family or close friends before helping other people

The man was always doing volunteer work. He did not understand that charity begins

at home and he should spend more time helping his own family.

children and fools speak the truth

- children and fools say things without knowing or thinking what they mean but often

what they say is true

The child said that the woman was too fat which was true. Children and fools do

speak the truth.

children should be seen and not heard

- children should be quiet

The woman believed that children should be seen and not heard. And her children

were always very quiet.

Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com

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