www.learn-english-today.com

•  lessons-exercises    •   vocabulary   •   business english   •   idioms   •  wordgames   •   phrasal verbs   •   links-resources  •   fun   •  news     •   home    • 


ENGLISH   PROVERBS  &  SAYINGS
 (proverbs and sayings commonly used in everyday conversation)
 


 
 

Alphabetical list of proverbs - L - Z
 with an explanation where necessary  
 

 

Proverb

Explanation / Meaning

L

  Laughter is the best medicine.  

 

  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 the chips fall where they may.   We should not try to control our destiny.
   Liars need good memories.  
   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.
     

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.

 
   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.
     

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).
     
 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.
     

S

  Save me from my friends.  Friends can be more dangerous than enemies.

 

  Saying is one thing, doing is another.  People don't always do what they announce.

 

  Short reckonings make long friends.  Debts paid quickly encourage friendship.
   Sickness in the body brings sadness to the mind.

 
   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.
     
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 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  .

 

  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.

 
   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.
   Trust not a horse's heel nor a dog's tooth.  
   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.
     

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.
     
 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.
     

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.
previous page :  proverbs A-K

 

 

 

Google