Old Sayings

To mean "lots of questions" or "too much curiosity."

On the whole; Everything considered. "All things considered" or "For the most part".

In a violently raging, wild, or uncontrolled manner. Commonly used to describe wild or erratic behavior.

Go out and enjoy oneself flamboyantly. To go out drinking, dancing, etc.

To chastise loudly, or to issue a severe warning. In England, unruly crowds that did not disperse after the Riot Act was read to them became subject to the force…

To be satisfied with past success and do nothing to achieve further success.

Refers to someone with a strong dedication to a particular set of beliefs. The term "diehard" originally had a series of much more literal meanings. In its earliest incarnation in…

To describe a display of superficial or false sorrow. The saying actually derives from a medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness while they killed and consumed their prey.

A possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of.

Used to refer to a willful refusal to acknowledge a particular reality.

Aan avoidable error in which something good is eliminated when trying to get rid of something bad.

To warn someone that they should not talk about a bad situation that most people have forgotten about.

To seize the opportunity and take action when the moment is right and conditions are favorable.

People need not just food, but also poetry, art, music, etc. to live happily.

Said to emphasize that what you do is more important and shows your intentions and feelings more clearly than what you say.

The proverb is meant to remind us that you can only judge if something is a success once you’ve tested it out in real life.

To threaten someone, but not take action or follow through with threats. Or someone who makes a lot of noise but is harmless. Or be all show, posture or bluster.…

If you say better the devil you know or better the devil you know than the devil you don't know, you mean that you would prefer to have contact with…

The saying is used to call out a person who criticizes someone for an issue that they themselves are guilty of as well.

If we don't waste what we have, we'll still have it in the future and will not lack or want it.

Cleanliness is a great virtue.

To act quickly when opportunities arise before we miss our chance. Reference to blacksmithing. Where you need to hit a hot piece of metal with a mallet before it cools…

No one is self-sufficient; everyone relies on others.

When visiting a foreign land, follow the customs of those who live in it. It can also mean that when you are in an unfamiliar situation, you should follow the…

This adage is used to describe how people of similar attitudes, interests and beliefs often congregate together. This can sometimes to be used to point out negative characteristics of people.

Stingy about small expenditures and extravagant with large ones.

The last in a series of bad things that happen to make someone upset, angry, etc.

This adage was first used by English poet Alexander Pope in his poem, “An Essay on Criticism” in 1711, which is also the origin of the adage "To err is…

A way of asking a third person to leave because you want to be alone with someone. Often implies that you want to be alone with the person because you…

Refers to personal or technical failure in a team due to one component rather than an actual chain.

A hunting reference that points out that when you’ve already caught one bird, it may not be worth risking in order to capture the other birds that are still hiding…

Means you can provide someone with a nice opportunity, but you can’t make them take it if they don’t want to.

To risk all one has on the success or failure of one thing.

Also "Too many cooks in the kitchen" If multiple cooks are "tweaking" a recipe, the dish is going to suffer because there are too many competing tastes and visions. This…

You act badly towards the person who is helping or has helped you. When you bite the hand that feeds you, you are being unthankful, ungrateful, unappreciative.

It is better to be careful than to do something that is dangerous and unnecessary.

Someone who complains or causes problems is more likely to receive attention or help than someone who stays quiet and does not cause problems.

Every person has a successful moment in life.

To not worry about a possible problem until it actually happens.

A reference to the fact that by quickly sewing up a small tear in a garment, you can avoid a small tear becoming a much larger tear over time. This…

New ways to do things are found or created when there is a strong and special need for them.

The beginning of this saying (Jack of all trades) is often used as a complement for someone who is good at many things. But by adding "master of none," the…

People who have faults should not criticize other people for having the same faults.

The way to tell a horse's age is by looking at its teeth. The saying literally means that if someone gives you a horse, it's rude to look in its…

Time passes very slowly when one is waiting for something to happen when that is the only thing one is thinking about.

A reference to the way that rocks are overgrown by moss and lichen when they stay in one spot. On one hand this adage suggests that a person who never…