Here’s a list of most of the commonly-used English proverbs, with links to the meaning and origin of many of them.
A bad penny always turns upA barking dog never bites
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A cat may look at a king
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
A change is as good as a rest
A dog is a man’s best friend
A drowning man will clutch at a straw
A fish always rots from the head down
A fool and his money are soon parted
A friend in need is a friend indeed
A golden key can open any door
A good beginning makes a good ending
A good man is hard to find
A house divided against itself cannot stand
A house is not a home
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
A leopard cannot change its spots
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
A little learning is a dangerous thing
A little of what you fancy does you good
A man is known by his friends
A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client
A miss is as good as a mile
A new broom sweeps clean
A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind horse
A penny saved is a penny earned
A person is known by the company he keeps
A picture paints a thousand words
A place for everything and everything in its place
A poor workman always blames his tools
A problem shared is a problem halved
A prophet is not recognized in his own land
A rising tide lifts all boats
A rolling stone gathers no moss
A soft answer turneth away wrath
A stitch in time saves nine
A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
A time and a place for everything – There’s
A trouble shared is a trouble halved
A volunteer is worth twenty pressed men
A watched pot never boils
A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke
A woman’s place is in the home
A woman’s work is never done
A word to the wise is enough
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Accidents will happen (in the best-regulated families).
Actions speak louder than words
Adversity makes strange bedfellows
After a storm comes a calm
Age of miracles is past – The
Ain’t over till the fat lady sings – It
All good things come to he who waits
All good things must come to an end
All is grist that comes to the mill
All publicity is good publicity
All roads lead to Rome
All that glisters is not gold
All that glitters is not gold
All the world loves a lover
All things come to those that wait
All things must pass
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All you need is love
All’s fair in love and war
All’s for the best in the best of all possible worlds
All’s well that ends well
A miss is as good as a mile
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
An army marches on its stomach
An Englishman’s home is his castle
An exception to every rule – There’s
Always more fish in the sea – There’s
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
An ill wind that blows no one any good – It’s
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Another day, another dollar
Any port in a storm
Appearances can be deceptive
Apple a day keeps the doctor away – An
Apple never falls far from the tree – The
April is the cruellest month
April showers bring forth May flowers
Army marches on its stomach – An
As thick as thieves
As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it
As you sow so shall you reap
Ashes to ashes dust to dust
Ask a silly question and you’ll get a silly answer
Ask no questions and hear no lies
Attack is the best form of defence
Bad money drives out good
Bad news travels fast
Bad penny always turns up – A
Barking dog never bites – A
Be careful what you wish for
Beat swords into ploughshares
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Beauty is only skin deep
Beggars should not be choosers
Behind every great man there’s a great woman
Best defence is a good offence – The
Best is the enemy of the good – The
Best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley – The
Best things in life are free – The
Better late than never
Better safe than sorry
Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don’t
Best to be on the safe side – It’s
Better to give than to receive – It’s
Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all – It’s
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness – It’s
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool that to speak and remove all doubt
Better to travel hopefully than to arrive – It’s
Between two stools one falls to the ground
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
Beware the Ides of March
Big fish eat little fish
Big fleas have little fleas upon their back to bite ’em
Bigger, the better – The
Bigger they are, the harder they fall – The
Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush – A
Birds of a feather flock together
Blessed are the peacemakers
Blood is thicker than water
Blue are the hills that are far away
Bottom line is the bottom line – The
Boy is father to the man – The
Boys will be boys
Bread always falls buttered side down
Brevity is the soul of wit
Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door
Business before pleasure
Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion
Carpe diem (Pluck the day; Seize the day)
Cat may look at a king – A
Chain is only as strong as its weakest link – A
Change is as good as a rest – A
Charity begins at home
Charity covers a multitude of sins
Cheaters never win and winners never cheat
Cheats never prosper
Child is father to the man – The
Children and fools tell the truth
Children should be seen and not heard
Christmas comes but once a year
Cleanliness is next to godliness
Clothes maketh the man
Cobbler always wears the worst shoes – The
Cold hands, warm heart
Comparisons are odious
Count your blessings
Course of true love never did run smooth – The
Cowards may die many times before their death
Crime doesn’t pay
Curiosity killed the cat
Customer is always right – The
Cut your coat to suit your cloth
Darkest hour is just before the dawn – The
Dead men tell no tales
Devil is in the details – The
Devil looks after his own – The
Devil makes work for idle hands to do – The
Devil take the hindmost – The
Different strokes for different folks
Discretion is the better part of valour
Distance lends enchantment to the view
Do as I say, not as I do
Do as you would be done by
Do unto others as you would have them do to you
Dog is a man’s best friend – A
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
Don’t burn your bridges behind you
Don’t cast your pearls before swine
Don’t change horses in midstream
Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched
Don’t cross the bridge till you come to it
Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face
Don’t get mad, get even
Don’t get your knickers in a twist
Don’t keep a dog and bark yourself
Don’t leave your manners on the doorstep
Don’t let the bastards grind you down
Don’t let the cat out of the bag
Don’t let the grass grow under your feet
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth
Don’t meet troubles half-way
Don’t mix business with pleasure
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Don’t put the cart before the horse
Don’t put new wine into old bottles
Don’t rock the boat
Don’t shoot the messenger
Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar
Don’t shut the stable door after the horse has bolted
Don’t sweat the small stuff
Don’t throw pearls to swine
Don’t teach your Grandma to suck eggs
Don’t throw good money after bad
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
Don’t trust anyone over thirty
Don’t try to run before you can walk
Don’t try to walk before you can crawl
Don’t upset the apple-cart
Don’t wash your dirty linen in public
Doubt is the beginning not the end of wisdom
Drowning man will clutch at a straw – A
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
Each to their own
Early bird catches the worm – The
East is east, and west is west
East, west, home’s best
Easy come, easy go
Easy to be wise after the event – It’s
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die
Empty vessels make the most noise
End justifies the means – The
English are a nation of shopkeepers – The
Englishman’s home is his castle – An
Enough is as good as a feast
Enough is enough
Even a worm will turn
Every cloud has a silver lining
Every dog has its day
Every little helps
Every man for himself, and the Devil take the hindmost
Every man has his price
Every picture tells a story
Every stick has two ends
Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die
Everything comes to him who waits
Exception which proves the rule – The
Eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth – An
Failing to plan is planning to fail
Faint heart never won fair lady
Fair exchange is no robbery
Faith will move mountains
Familiarity breeds contempt
Fat is in the fire – The
Feed a cold and starve a fever
Female of the species is more deadly than the male – The
Fight fire with fire
Fight the good fight
Finders keepers, losers weepers
Fine words butter no parsnips
Fire is a good servant but a bad master
First come, first served
First impressions are the most lasting
First things first
Fish always stink from the head down
Fish and guests smell after three days
Flattery will get you nowhere
Fool and his money are soon parted – A
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
For everything there is a season
For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost
Forewarned is forearmed
Forgive and forget
Fortune favours the brave
Friend in need is a friend indeed – A
From the sublime to the ridiculous is only one step
Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains
Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration
Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day…
Give a dog a bad name and hang him
Give a man enough rope and he will hang himself
Give credit where credit is due
Give the Devil his due
Go the extra mile
God helps those who help themselves
Goes without saying – It
Golden key can open any door – A
Good beginning makes a good ending – A
Good die young – The
Good fences make good neighbours
Good man is hard to find – A
Good talk saves the food
Good things come in small packages
Good things come to those that wait
Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence – The
Great minds think alike
Great oaks from little acorns grow
Half a loaf is better than no bread
Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world – The
Handsome is as handsome does
Hard cases make bad law
Hard work never did anyone any harm
Haste makes waste
He that goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing
He who can does, he who cannot, teaches
He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day
He who hesitates is lost
He who laughs last laughs longest
He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword
He who pays the piper calls the tune
He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon
Hear all, see all, say nowt, tak’ all, keep all, gie nowt, and if tha ever does owt for nowt do it for thysen
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
Hindsight is always twenty-twenty
History repeats itself
Hold with the hare and run with the hounds – You can’t
Home is where the heart is
Honesty is the best policy
Honey catches more flies than vinegar
Honour among thieves – There’s
Hope springs eternal
Horses for courses
House divided against itself cannot stand – A
House is not a home – A
Husband is always the last to know – The
If anything can go wrong, it will
If a job is worth doing it is worth doing well
If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again
If God had meant us to fly he’d have given us wings
If ifs and ands were pots and pans there’d be no work for tinkers
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
If life deals you lemons, make lemonade
If the cap fits, wear it
If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain
If the shoe fits, wear it
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride
If you build it they will come
If you can’t be good, be careful
If you can’t beat em, join em
If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen
If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
If you want a thing done well, do it yourself
Ignorance is bliss
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
In for a penny, in for a pound
In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king
In the midst of life we are in death
Into every life a little rain must fall
It ain’t over till the fat lady sings
It goes without saying
It never rains but it pours
It takes a thief to catch a thief
It takes all sorts to make a world
It takes one to know one
It takes two to tango
It’s all grist to the mill
It’s an ill wind that blows no one any good
It’s best to be on the safe side
It’s better to give than to receive
It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness
It’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive
It’s easy to be wise after the event
It’s never too late
It’s no use crying over spilt milk
It’s no use shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted
It’s the early bird that catches the worm
It’s the empty can that makes the most noise
It’s the singer not the song
It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease
Jack of all trades, master of none
Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today
Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step – A
Judge not, that ye be not judged
Keep your chin up
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
Keep your powder dry
Know which side your bread is buttered
Labourer is worthy of his hire – The
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone
Laughter is the best medicine
Law is an ass – The
Least said, soonest mended
Leopard cannot change its spots – A
Less is more
Let bygones be bygones
Let not the sun go down on your wrath
Let sleeping dogs lie
Let the buyer beware
Let the dead bury the dead
Let the punishment fit the crime
Let well alone
Life begins at forty
Life is just a bowl of cherries
Life is what you make it
Life’s not all beer and skittles
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place
Like father, like son
Little knowledge is a dangerous thing – A
Little learning is a dangerous thing – A
Little of what you fancy does you good – A
Little pitchers have big ears
Little strokes fell great oaks
Little things please little minds
Live and learn
Live and let live
Live for today for tomorrow never comes
Longest journey starts with a single step – The
Look before you leap
Love of money is the root of all evil
Love is blind
Love makes the world go round
Love thy neighbour as thyself
Love will find a way
Make hay while the sun shines
Make haste slowly
Make love not war
Man does not live by bread alone
Man is known by his friends – A
Man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client – A
Manners maketh man
Many a good tune played on an old fiddle – There’s
Many a little makes a mickle
Many a mickle makes a muckle
Many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip – There’s
Many a true word is spoken in jest
Many are called but few are chosen
Many hands make light work
March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb
March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers
Marriages are made in heaven
Marry in haste, repent at leisure
Might is right
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
Misery loves company
Miss is as good as a mile – A
Moderation in all things
Monday’s child is fair of face
Money doesn’t grow on trees
Money is the root of all evil
Money isn’t everything
Money makes the world go round
Money talks
More haste, less speed
More the merrier – The
More things change, the more they stay the same – The
More ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream – There are
Music has charms to soothe the savage breast
Nature abhors a vacuum
Necessity is the mother of invention
Needs must when the devil drives
Ne’er cast a clout till May be out
Never give a sucker an even break
Never go to bed on an argument
Never judge a book by its cover
Never let the sun go down on your anger
Never look a gift horse in the mouth
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today
Never rains but it pours – It
Never speak ill of the dead
Never tell tales out of school
Never too late – It’s
New broom sweeps clean – A
Nine tailors make a man
No accounting for tastes – There’s
No fool like an old fool – There’s
No man can serve two masters
No man is an island
No names, no pack-drill
No news is good news
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent
No pain, no gain
No place like home – There’s
No rest for the wicked
No smoke without fire – There’s
No such thing as a free lunch – There’s
No such thing as bad publicity – There’s
No time like the present – There’s
No use crying over spilt milk – It’s
Nod’s as good as a wink to a blind horse – A
None so blind as those who will not see – There’s
None so deaf as those who will not hear – There’s
Nothing new under the sun
Nothing is certain but death and taxes
Nothing succeeds like success
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Oil and water don’t mix
Old soldiers never die, they simply fade away.
Once a thief, always a thief
Once bitten, twice shy
One good turn deserves another
One half of the world does not know how the other half lives
One hand washes the other
One man’s meat is another man’s poison
One might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb
One law for the rich and another law for the poor
One swallow does not make a summer
One volunteer is worth ten pressed men
One year’s seeding makes seven years weeding
Only fools and horses work
Opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings – The
Opportunity never knocks twice at any man’s door
Opposites attract
Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – An
Out of sight, out of mind
Out of the frying pan into the fire
Paddle your own canoe
Parsley seed goes nine times to the Devil
Patience is a virtue
Pearls of wisdom
Pen is mightier than sword – The
Penny saved is a penny earned – A
Penny wise and pound foolish
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
Person is known by the company he keeps – A
Physician, heal thyself
Picture paints a thousand words – A
Place for everything and everything in its place – A
Poor workman always blames his tools – A
Possession is nine points of the law
Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely
Practice makes perfect
Practice what you preach
Prevention is better than cure
Price of liberty is eternal vigilance – The
Pride comes before a fall
Procrastination is the thief of time
Problem shared is a problem halved – A
Proof of the pudding is in the eating – The
Prophet is not recognized in his own land – A
Put the cart before the horse
Put your best foot forward
Put your shoulder to the wheel
Quid pro quo
Rain before seven, fine before eleven
Red sky at night shepherd’s delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning
Revenge is a dish best served cold
Revenge is sweet
Rising tide lifts all boats – A
Road to hell is paved with good intentions – The
Rob Peter to pay Paul
Rolling stone gathers no moss – A
Rome wasn’t built in a day
See a pin and pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you’ll have all day
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
Seeing is believing
Seek and you shall find
Set a thief to catch a thief
Share and share alike
Shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot – The
Shrouds have no pockets
Silence is golden
Slow but sure
Soft answer turneth away wrath – A
Softly, softly, catchee monkey
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Speak as you find
Speak softly and carry a big stick
Squeaky wheel gets the grease – The
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me
Still waters run deep
Stitch in time saves nine – A
Strike while the iron is hot
Stupid is as stupid does
Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan
Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves
Takes a thief to catch a thief – It
Takes all sorts to make a world – It
Takes one to know one – It
Talk is cheap
Talk of the Devil, and he is bound to appear
Tell the truth and shame the Devil
That which does not kill us makes us stronger
The age of miracles is past
The apple never falls far from the tree
The best defense is a good offence
The best is the enemy of the good
The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley
The best things in life are free
The bigger, the better
The bigger they are, the harder they fall
The bottom line is the bottom line
The boy is father to the man
The bread always falls buttered side down
The child is father to the man
The cobbler always wears the worst shoes
The course of true love never did run smooth
The customer is always right
The darkest hour is just before the dawn
The Devil has all the best tunes
The Devil is in the details
The Devil looks after his own
The Devil makes work for idle hands to do
The Devil take the hindmost
The early bird catches the worm
The empty can that makes the most noise – It’s
The end justifies the means
The English are a nation of shopkeepers
The exception which proves the rule
The fat is in the fire
The female of the species is more deadly than the male
The good die young
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
The husband is always the last to know
The labourer is worthy of his hire
The law is an ass
The leopard does not change his spots
The longest journey starts with a single step
The more the merrier
The more things change, the more they stay the same
The opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings
The pen is mightier than sword
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance
The proof of the pudding is in the eating
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
The shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot
The singer not the song – It’s
The squeaky wheel that gets the grease – It’s
The truth will out
The wages of sin is death
The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach
The whole is greater than the sum of the parts
There are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream
There are none so blind as those, that will not see
There are two sides to every question
There but for the grace of God, go I
There’s a sucker born every minute
There’s a time and a place for everything
There’s an exception to every rule
There’s always more fish in the sea
There’s honour among thieves
There’s many a good tune played on an old fiddle
There’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip
There’s more than one way to skin a cat
There’s no accounting for tastes
There’s no fool like an old fool
There’s no place like home
There’s no smoke without fire
There’s no such thing as a free lunch
There’s no such thing as bad publicity
There’s no time like the present
There’s none so blind as those who will not see
There’s none so deaf as those who will not hear
There’s nowt so queer as folk
There’s one born every minute
There’s one law for the rich and another law for the poor
There’s safety in numbers
They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind
Thing of beauty is a joy forever – A
Third time lucky
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it
Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas
Trouble shared is a trouble halved – A
Thou shalt not kill
Time and tide wait for no man
Time flies
Time is a great healer
Time is money
Time will tell
’tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all
To err is human; to forgive divine
To every thing there is a season
To the victor go the spoils
To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive
Tomorrow is another day
Tomorrow never comes
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Truth is stranger than fiction
Truth will out
Two blacks don’t make a white
Two heads are better than one
Two is company, but three’s a crowd
Two sides to every question – There are
Two wrongs don’t make a right
Variety is the spice of life
Virtue is its own reward
Volunteer is worth twenty pressed men – A
Wages of sin is death – The
Walls have ears
Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs
Waste not want not
Watched pot never boils – A
Way to a man’s heart is through his stomach – The
What can’t be cured must be endured
What goes up must come down
What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts
What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
When the cat’s away the mice will play
When the going gets tough, the tough get going
When the oak is before the ash, then you will only get a splash; when the ash is before the oak, then you may expect a soak
What the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over
Where there’s a will there’s a way
Where there’s muck there’s brass
Wherever you wander, there’s no place like home
While there’s life there’s hope
Whole is greater than the sum of the parts – The
Whom the Gods love die young
Why keep a dog and bark yourself?
Woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke – A
Woman’s place is in the home – A
Woman’s work is never done
Women and children first
Wonders will never cease
Word to the wise is enough – A
Work expands so as to fill the time available
Worrying never did anyone any good
You are never too old to learn
You are what you eat
You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family
You can have too much of a good thing
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
You can’t get blood out of a stone
You can’t get blood out of a turnip
You can’t hold with the hare and run with the hounds
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear
You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs
You can’t make bricks without straw
You can’t run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
You can’t take it with you [when you die]
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks
You can’t judge a book by its cover
You can’t win them all
You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
You pays your money and you takes your choice
You reap what you sow
You win some, you lose some
Youth is wasted on the young
