Questions tagged [proverb-requests]
This tag is for questions seeking a proverb that fits a certain context. If you are asking more generally about a suitable phrase to use in a particular context, see the "phrase-request" tag.
192 questions
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Proverb for when one is already in a hurry but the condition wastes even more time
I am looking for a proverb (short adage) for when one is already in a hurry but the situation makes the person wait even more.
Today I was in a hurry. I had to reach home at 2 o'clock but the driver ...
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What's the opposite saying to "A broken clock is right twice a day"?
A familiar proverb runs:
A broken clock is right twice a day.
is a saying used to express that even an entity which is typically wrong, would sometimes be right accidentally.
Is there an inverse ...
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Equivalent English for a Gujarati saying paraphrased as "Goldsmithing proved costlier than the gold"
Exact saying is (in Gujarati script, of course) - સોના કરતાં ઘડામણ મોંઘું.
You would use this for a scenario where after all is done, the mark-up charges unexpectedly costs at least a significant ...
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What do you call a moderate victory?
In the following bible passage, Prophet Elisha prophesies that King Joash should take his bow and arrows, and subsequently orders Joash to use his arrows to strike the ground to signify a symbolic act....
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Proverb for someone who mistakenly assumes he has found the right answer and is unwilling to accept his error?
There is a proverb in the Telugu language:
The hare he caught had only three legs.
He has caught a hare that has only three legs and has now convinced himself this is a rare hare, not just one that ...
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someone much too enthusiastic about something that doesn't concern them
A group of people is too interested, enthusiastic, and excited about a basketball tournament taking place in Armenia when they live in the farthest country from Armenia in the world—New Zealand. They ...
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Ignorance is the opposite of bliss
The proverb "ignorance is bliss" is used to express that somebody feels better by not knowing all the details about a topic.
In an existing thread titled "ignorance is not bliss", ...
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Idiom for “pretending to like someone when you actually hate them”
I’m trying to translate a Vietnamese proverb into English, and I couldn’t find an idiom or proverb in English that provides an exact match with my Vietnamese one.
The Vietnamese one goes as follows: “...
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Is there a popular expression in English equivalent of Russian "water wears away a stone"?
Is there a popular English expression equivalent to this Russian proverb? It translates to:
Water wears away a stone.
And has the meaning that, step by step, eventually we (it) will get there (reach ...
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Similar quotes to "Eat the fish, spit the bones"
I need a quote similar to "Eat the fish, spit the bones".
Basically, I want to convey this to someone - "Look, on the internet you'll find 1000s of articles explaining this topic. Not ...
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Proverb or expression about a talent being ignored or unnoticed
In one of his songs, Eminem says:
It ain't too late to finally see what you closed-minded f**ks were too blind to see.
Whoever finds me is gonna get a finder's fee
I'm looking for a proverb about ...
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What is a word or phrase for student of the year? [closed]
I’m looking for a word/phrase similar to student of the year. I’m not using valedictorian, as I think it means student who has highest academic grade. I want to mean something that would mean like ...
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English version of Russian proverb "The hedgehogs got pricked, cried, but continued to eat the cactus"
Is there anything in English similar to this Russian joke/proverb/or you could even say sarcasm:
"The hedgehogs got pricked, cried, but continued to eat the cactus".
It describes people ...
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What is a term for a phenomenon where two people doing the same job are less effective than one person doing it alone?
For example, imagine a worker in a widget factory who is responsible for checking if all the widgets on a conveyor belt are well-made. This worker is successful in their job 99% of the time. However, ...
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English equivalent of a scornful Hindi expression, 'the rope got burnt, but the force did not'
There is a sarcastic Hindi proverb that goes like this:
रस्सी जल गई पर बल नहीं गया
Rassi (rope) jal gayi (got burnt) par (but) bal (literally: strength/force) nahi (not) gaya.
The rope got burnt, but ...
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Expression, phrase, or idiom that describes lazy team members/coworkers who work only on the least important and demanding tasks [duplicate]
I'm looking for a expression, idiom, or even proverb that could be used to describe situations like
In a work environment where it becomes apparent that coworkers set aside duties that require ...
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What is the phrase or expression which has the word ‘finger’ in it and means very easily or quickly
Long ago the Internet could not be accessed ….
I am looking for a word to use in the above sentence. I want it to mean ‘easily’ and ‘quickly’. I remember there was a phrase or proverb which had the ...
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What is the English equivalent to the proverb "Somebody finds his soup not thick enough, and somebody finds his pearls too small"
What's the equivalent to the Russian proverb "Somebody finds his soup not thick enough, and somebody finds his pearls too small"("Кому суп не густ, кому жемчуг мелок")?
It means a ...
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A proverb that expresses the idea that an unaddressed problem will lead to consequences? [duplicate]
I'm trying to translate a proverb that roughly translates to "a wound untreated will fester," but I'm having trouble thinking of an English equivalent.
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Is there a good equivalent for the Italian proverb "Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco"?
One of my favorite Italian sayings is
Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco (literally "Not all donuts
come out with holes").
It usually gets a smile from another Italian speaker, ...
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Phrase for describing someone who ended up buying something much more expensive than what was originally needed
Is there any popular phrase (proverb/idiom/slang) for describing someone who ended up buying something much more expensive than what was originally needed?
Somewhat like:
Person A needs a bike, ...
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Idiom/proverb reminding someone not mincing their words to be sporting when someone else responds in kind?
In German we have the sentence "Wer austeilt muss auch einstecken können", translated to: "Anyone who dishes it out must also be able to take it", as seen here. I was wondering if ...
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Any similar idioms to "Don't blow your own horn/trumpet"? [closed]
I am looking for idioms in English which convey a message that a person should not testify about his own character.
Any ideas?
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Proverb for weak individuals uniting their power and manage to defeat stronger opponent
I'm looking for an idiom or proverb describing a situation where (otherwise weak and insignificant) individuals/actors decide to join their forces to defeat a much stronger opponent, and they ...
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"If two people say you are drunk, go to bed!"
In my mother tongue there is this funny saying that always made me laugh. It normally refers to situations that have nothing to do with getting drunk.
Imagine two friends trying to convince a third ...
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Looking for an aphorism/verse for "If you ask for less, you are more likely to receive it" (or the double inverse)
Looking for an aphorism/verse for the sentiment...
If you ask for less, you are more likely to receive it
...in the context of luck or prayers being answered.
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English Idiom equivalent of the Tamil proverb "every house has doorsteps", meaning that everyone has problems
Is there an idiom/proverb in English which is equivalent to the Tamil proverb "every house has doorsteps" (veetuku veedu vasapadi)? The meaning of it is that everyone faces problems in life ...
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What is an idiom for "a supervening act that renders a course of action unnecessary"?
What is an idiom (or a proverb) used in situations where a person calls upon another person to carry out an order (mostly of a non-official or non-enforcing type), which the second person tries to ...
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what is its proverb in English [duplicate]
there is a famous proverb in Nepal, i.e. कागले कान समात्यो भन्दैमा म कागको पछि लग्नु. The meaning of this proverb to believe other blindly. For example: "The man said someone that the crow ...
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Spoken word equivalent for "paper does not refuse ink"
This phrase advises a healthy skepticism of the written word.
Is there a similar idiom that advises skepticism of the spoken word?
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Idiom/proverb: if you keep calling someone a mouse, they might start thinking they're a mouse
I know there is a similar idiom in English and in other languages like Chinese languages, but I can't remember the exact idiom.
It's something like "if you keep calling an elephant a mouse, it might ...
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Is there an expression in English for "being asked to act on your own suggestion"? [duplicate]
Is there an expression in English for "being asked to act on your own suggestion"?
Here's an example of the scenario that I'm thinking about:
Wife: Husband, the living room light is broken. We need ...
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English idiomatic proverb that expresses "work makes the doer"?
Latvian language (one of the Baltic languages, others being Lithuanian and extinct Prussian language) has proverb (with alliterations) Darbs dara darītāju, which can be translated literally into ...
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Is there an idiom, proverb or a saying about someone who receives all benefits and good things while complaining about it?
For example: Someone who has a tree that gives him fruits, he doesn't take care of it or have to take care of that tree.
He eats all the fruits of that tree, and yet he dares to find or come up with ...
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Proverb saying that one attack a problem from different angles
I want to say that one can attack or slice a problem from different angles. Vaguely I recall that there is some German or English saying for this and I am not sure how exactly it goes.
I'd prefer one ...
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Idiom/proverb or phrase about never forgetting wrongdoing
I could have sworn there was a catchy idiom/proverb in English about how you can be kind to someone always, but the moment you do one mean thing, they will never forget that (or hate you forever for ...
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Idiom or proverb to point out half-measures
What is an idiom or proverb to point out half-measures? Something like, "You locked the door, but left the window open." Or, "You wrote the check, but forgot to mail it." Those expressions seem easy ...
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What's a word that describes a person who reminds you of the good things they did for you?
I don't know if such a word exists in the English language. In the Bisaya language of the Visayas region in the Philippines where I belong, there is a verb that describes exactly that. I can't find ...
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Is there a proverb for "a problem looks so simple when you know the solution"?
I think I have seen one or two proverbs before that are used in situations where someone thinks a problem/puzzle is very easy but only because he/she has heard the answer to the problem/puzzle.
Is ...
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What's another idiom/proverb for there is more to something than meets the eye?
I have to make an idiom/proverb for 'there is more to something than meets the eye' in the context of culture; that often, traditions and customs are just symbolic/representative of bigger things. ...
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What's the other common expression for "You get what you pay for" in reference to high quality?
I’m looking for a familiar saying that I can use for If you pay more money, you get more quality.
Because Google has been giving me the same result — that the meaning of the saying You get what you ...
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Translate the French quote "Il n’y a pas d'amour, il n’y a que des preuves d’amour" to English?
I’d like to translate a quote from Pierre Reverdy (or Jean Cocteau, this
is an open question apparently). The quote is:
Il n’y a pas d’amour, il n’y a que des preuves d’amour.
For some context in ...
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An idiom or proverb to describe the ability to identify the best one when given a plethora of choices
I'm looking for an idiom or proverb that emphasise the availability of choices and the ability to identify the best/correct one. The ability is the result of experience, skills and knowledge.
For ...
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Equivalent Proverb in English
There is a proverb in Urdu, "Bacha bola nahi bola nahi muh khola to Amma maro Bawa maro bola".
This could be translated as, the kid never spoke, but when he did, (to his concerned parents shock) he ...
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What proverb describes getting out from trouble but ending up in another one? [duplicate]
I remember reading something like "out from something's mouth/jaws (like a dragon) and into another..."
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When a limited but working version of something is better
There is a Persian proverb ("One habitable village is better than one hundred desolated towns") which emphasizes that a limited and small-scale but working thing (e.g. a solution or an achievement) is ...
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Looking for a well-known refrain or proverb indicating that some big trouble has just started
I am translating into English a famous refrain from Spanish, Ahí fue Troya. That means something like Then a big trouble started.
I am looking for some correspondingly recognizable refrain I can ...
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Someone whose aspirations exceed abilities or means
What would be a clear and concise way to describe someone whose ambitions or aspirations far exceed his means or abilities?
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Opposite of "Squeaky wheel gets the grease"
I want a fun and playful retort to use against someone who says "The squeaky wheel gets the grease", which, according to the so-named Wikipedia1 article means:
The squeaky wheel gets the grease is ...
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Equivalent for "Make the jacket to the button"
We have a proverb in my language: "Make the jacket to the button". I'm looking for the equivalent in English.
The meaning of the proverb is:
A tiny part of job is already done. It turns out that the ...
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