| Proverb | Explanation / Meaning |
| L | Laughter is the best medicine. | |
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| Learn to walk before you run. | Don't rush into doing something until you know how to do it. |
| | Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner
everywhere. | Education is something you keep forever. |
| | Least said soonest mended. | The more discreet you are, the less damage you cause. |
| | Let bygones be bygones. | Let's forgive and forget past quarrels. |
| | Let not the sun go down on your wrath. | Do not stay angry for more than one day. |
| | Let the chips fall where they may. | We should not try to control our destiny. |
| | Liars need good memories. | People who do not tell the truth must be careful to remember what they say. |
| | Lightning never strikes in the same place twice | An unusual event is not likely to occur again in exactly the same circumstances. |
| | Like father, like son. | A son's character can be expected to resemble his father's. |
| | Little strokes fell great oaks. | If you divide a task into small parts, it becomes easier to do. |
| | Look before you leap. | Consider possible consequences before taking action. |
| | Loose lips sink ships. | Disclosing important information ( to the enemy or a competitor) could result in large
losses. |
| | Losers weepers, finders keepers. | If you lose something you weep, if you find something you keep it. |
| | Love is blind. | A person in love does not see the faults of the person he/she loves. |
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| M | Make a silk purse out of a sow's ear | Manage to produce something good using poor material. |
| | Man is the head of the family;
woman is the neck that turns the head. | |
| | Man proposes, God disposes. | Our destiny depends on God's will. |
| | Manners make the man. | Possibly: a person's manners show their origins. |
| | Many hands make light work. | Sharing work makes work easier. |
| | Marry in haste, repent at leisure. | If you get married too quickly, you may spend all your life regretting it. |
| | Memory is the treasure of the mind. | |
| | Men make houses, women make homes. |
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| | Might as well be hanged for a sheep as (for) a lamb | If the penalty is going to be the same, you might as well commit the greater offence. |
| | Money begets money. | If you have money you can make more money. |
| | Money doesn't grow on trees. | You shouldn't waste money because it is not plentiful. |
| | Money is the root of all evil. | Money is the main cause of wrongdoing and problems. |
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| N | Necessity is the mother of invention. | The need for something forces people to find a way of obtaining it. |
| | Need teaches a plan. | Necessity will make you find a solution. |
| | Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today | Don't postpone something you can do now. |
| | Never say die. | Never give up. |
| | Nobody is perfect. | |
| | No man can serve two masters. | It's impossible to follow instructions from two different sources. |
| | No man is an island. | We all need other people. |
| | No news is good news. | If the news was bad, we would hear of it. Since we have heard nothing,
we can assume that all is well. |
| | No smoke without fire. | There could be some truth in the rumour... |
| | No wind, no waves. | Similar to : 'no smoke without fire'. |
| | Nothing ventured, nothing gained. | You cannot expect to achieve anything if you don't take risks. |
| | | |
| O | Once bitten, twice shy. | After an unpleasant experience, people are careful to avoid something similar. |
| | One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. | |
| | One good turn deserves another. | You should be helpful to someone who helps you. |
| | One of these days is none of these days. | 'One of these days' remains vague. |
| | One today is worth two tomorrow. | What you have today is better than what is promised or hoped for. |
| | One man's meat is another man's poison | People don't always like the same things. |
| | One man's trash is another man's treasure. | What is useless to one person could be valuable to another. |
| | One swallow doesn't make a summer. | A single satisfactory event does not mean that all the others will be as good. |
| | Only real friends will tell you when your face is
dirty. | Only a real friend will tell you the truth. |
| | Opportunity seldom knocks twice. | Don't miss opportunities that come along. |
| | Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings | Children often speak wisely. |
| | Out of sight, out of mind. | We tend to forget people or things that we do not see. |
| | | |
| P | Patience is a virtue | It is good to be patient. |
| | Penny wise, pound foolish. | Refers to a person who is careful about spending small amounts of money, but
not careful about spending large amounts of money. |
| | People who live in glass houses should not throw
stones. | One should not criticize others for faults similar to one's own. |
| | Poverty waits at the gates of idleness. | If you do not work you will not make money. |
| | Practice makes perfect. | Doing something repeatedly is the only way to become good at it. |
| | Practise what you preach | Do yourself what you advise others to do. |
| | Prevention is better than cure | It is easier to prevent something from happening than to repair the damage or cure the
disease later. |
| | Pride comes before a fall. | Don't be too self-confident or proud; something may happen to make you look foolish. |
| | Procrastination is the thief of time | Delaying an action for too long is a waste of time. |
| | Punctuality is the soul of business | You should always be on time for your business appointments. |
| | Put all your eggs in one basket | Risk everything by relying on one plan (by putting all one's money in one business). |
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| R | Revenge is sweet. | There is satisfaction in returning an injury. |
| | Rome was not built in a day. | It takes a long time to do a job properly. You should not expect to do it quickly. |
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| S | Save me from my friends. | Friends can be more dangerous than enemies. |
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| Saying is one thing, doing is another. | People don't always do what they announce. |
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| Short reckonings make long friends. | Debts paid quickly encourage friendship. |
| | Sickness in the body brings sadness to the mind. |
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| | Silence gives consent. | If you don't object to something it can be assumed that you agree with it. |
| | Snug as a bug in a rug. | Feeling very comfortable. |
| | Spare the rod and spoil the child | If you don't punish a child when he does wrong, you will spoil his character. |
| | Sticks and stones will break my bones but names
will never hurt me | Physical attacks may harm me, but cruel words will not. |
| | Still waters run deep. | A quiet person can have much knowledge or wisdom. |
| | A stitch in time saves nine | It's better to deal with a problem in its early stages, because if you don't, it will get
worse. |
| | Stolen fruit is the sweetest. | What is forbidden is the most tempting. |
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| T | Tall oaks grow from little acorns. | Great things may come from small beginnings. |
|
| The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. | Children resemble their parents. |
| | The best advice is found on the pillow. | After a good night's sleep we may find an answer to our problem. |
| | The best things in life are free. | You don't have to pay for what is important : happiness, friendship, good health. |
| | The darkest hour is just before dawn. | There is hope even in the worst of times. |
|
| The devil looks after his own. | Success comes to those who deserve it least . |
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| The devil makes work for idle hands | People who have no work, or are idle, often get into or make trouble. |
| | The die is cast. | A decision has been made and it's impossible to change it. |
| | The early bird catches the worm. | If you want to do something successfully, you should do it as soon as you can. |
| | The end justifies the means. | Wrong or unfair methods may be used if the result of the action is good. |
| | The first step is the hardest. | The most difficult thing is to begin. |
| | The more haste, the less speed. | A person makes more progress if they do things less quickly. |
| | The more you have, the more you want. | People have a constant desire to possess more. |
| | The mouse that has but one hole is quickly taken. | If you depend on just one thing, and it fails you, you will have no alternatives. |
| | The pen is mightier than the sword | Words and communication have greater effect than war and fighting. |
| | The proof of the pudding is in the eating. | The real value of something can be judged only after it has been tried or tested. |
| | The road to hell is paved with good intentions. | It's not enough to intend to do something, you must actually do it. |
| | The tongue wounds more than a lance. | Insults can be more hurtful than physical injuries. |
| | The truth is in the wine. | People speak more freely under the influence of alcohol. |
| | The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. | Feed a man well and he will love you. |
| | The wish is father to the thought. | You think that something is true because you want it to be so. |
| | There is a black sheep in every flock. | There is always one who doesn't behave or perform like the others. |
| | There is a trick in every trade. | There is an established way of doing things. |
| | There is no fool like an old fool. | A older person is expected to behave more sensibly. |
| | There is safety in numbers | Being in a crowd makes you feel more confident. |
| | Time and tide wait for no man. | Delaying a decision will not prevent events from taking place. |
| | Time has wings. | Time goes by quickly. |
| | Time is money. | Time is valuable and should not be wasted. |
| | To err is human, to forgive divine | It is human nature to make mistakes, therefore one should forgive. |
| | Too many cooks spoil the broth.
(Humoristic version : Too many clicks spoil the browse!) | If too many people are involved in something, it will not be done properly. |
| | Too much bed makes a dull head. | If you sleep too much, you are not able to think clearly. |
| | True friends are tested in adversity. | It's when you have problems that you realize who your real friends are. |
| | Trust not a horse's heel nor a dog's tooth. | Be careful of the reaction of animals. |
| | Truth has no answer. | You cannot argue against facts or refute what is true. |
| | Truth is stranger than fiction. | Events in real life are sometimes stranger than in fiction. |
| | Two wrongs don't make a right | It is wrong to harm someone because they have harmed you. |
| | | |
| U | Union is strength. | A group has more force than an individual. |
| | Unwillingness easily finds an excuse. | A person who doesn't want to do something always finds a reason to avoid it. |
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| V | Variety is the spice of life. | Doing a lot of different things makes life more interesting. |
| | Virtue is its own reward. | You should not expect praise for acting in a correct or moral way. |
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| W | Walls have ears. | Be careful. People could be listening. |
| | Waste not, want not. | If you never waste anything, you will have it when you need it. |
| | What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve
over. | If a person doesn't know about something, it cannot hurt them. |
| | What a man says drunk, he thinks sober. | People speak more freely under the influence of alcohol. |
| | What soberness conceals, drunkenness reveals. | People are less discreet under the influence of alcohol. |
| | When the cat's away, the mice play. | People misbehave when their boss, or the person in authority, is absent. |
| When in Rome, do as the Romans do. | You should adopt the customs of the people or country you are visiting,
and behave in the same way. |
| | When poverty come in the door, love goes out the
window. | |
| | Where there's life there's hope. |
|
| | Where there's a will, there's a way. | A person with determination will find a way of doing something. |
| | Who makes himself a sheep will be eaten by the wolves. | Possible interpretation: an easily influenced person can be mislead. |
| | Wisdom is better than strength. | |
| | Wonders will never cease! | Expresses surprise at an unexpected pleasure or event (ironic). |
| | Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. | Worrying over small details can make them seem worse. |
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| Y | You are what you eat. | What you eat has an effect on your well-being. |
| | You are never too old to learn. | |
| | You can lead a horse to water but you can't
make it drink. | You can offer someone an opportunity to do something but you can't force them. |
| | You can't teach an old dog new tricks. | A person who is used to doing things a certain way cannot change. |
| | You never know what you can do until you try. | Try first before deciding not to do something. |
| | You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. | You help me and I'll help you. |
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