proverb · Traditional
A hot May makes a fat churchyard.
The saying associates a hot May with a full churchyard. It makes a month’s warmth an ominous sign of deaths without providing a measured relationship.
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proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
A hundred years hence we shall all be bald.
A long view makes present appearances seem less permanent. The shared baldness is an exaggeration about change over time, rather than a prediction of everyone’s lifespan or a criticism of losing hair.
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A hundred-year-old revenge still has its baby teeth.
A century-old revenge still having baby teeth pictures a retaliatory grievance retaining youthful force despite its age. The contrast emphasises persistence.
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A long rope is better, a conversation short.
A long rope and a short conversation contrast length useful for a tool with brevity useful in speech. The saying praises communication suited to its purpose.
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A man at five may be a fool at fifteen.
Early promise does not guarantee later good judgment. The two ages make a contrast between how someone first appears and how they may develop.
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A man cannot both wive and thrive in a year.
Several major commitments can compete for time and resources. The saying exaggerates that tension by claiming marriage and prosperity cannot occur within one year.
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A man cannot whistle and drink at the same time.
Some activities make incompatible demands at the same moment. The saying suggests choosing an order for them instead of assuming that simultaneous effort will preserve the attention or conditions each requires.
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A May flood never did good.
The saying declares flooding in May harmful. Its absolute wording gives an unwelcome seasonal event a single verdict.
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A nimble ninepence is better than a slow shilling.
The saying prefers a smaller sum that moves quickly to a larger sum that moves slowly. Speed of use or exchange can matter alongside nominal amount.
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A pin a day is a groat a year.
Repeated small savings can add up. The daily pin and yearly coin turn an apparently minor act into an image of accumulation over time.
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A ring around the sun or moon, means that rain will come real soon.
The rhyme makes a ring around the sun or moon a sign of rain soon. It uses an optical sky image to anticipate changing weather.
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A Saturday's moon Always comes too soon.
The saying calls the arrival of a Saturday moon unwelcome or premature. Its disapproval is explicit, while the particular consequence is left unstated.
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A snow year, a rich year.
The saying associates a snowy year with prosperity. Its brief promise makes one broad weather description a sign of abundance.
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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.
Older people planting trees they will not sit beneath gives future benefit priority beyond the planter’s own use. The saying praises care across generations.
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A stitch in time saves nine.
Dealing with a small problem early can prevent it from becoming a larger, more difficult problem later. Timely attention often saves extra work and disruption.
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A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay, But a swarm of bees in July is not worth a fly.
The saying values an earlier swarm of bees far more than a later one. The load of hay and worthless fly exaggerate the contrast between timing and expected benefit.
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A watched pot never boils.
Waiting can feel slower when you constantly monitor the thing you are waiting for. Redirecting your attention may make an unavoidable delay easier to tolerate, without changing its actual duration.
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A wet August never brings dearth.
The saying claims that a wet August prevents scarcity. Its absolute promise makes an expected relationship between rain and provision stronger than the wording can prove.
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A windy March and a rainy April make a beautiful May.
The saying links March wind and April rain with a beautiful May. It gives early weather a role in preparing a pleasing later season.
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A Wise Old Owl.
The phrase pictures a wise old owl as a figure of cleverness or judgment. It combines age and an animal image in a compact compliment.
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A wonder lasts but nine days.
Public fascination often fades. The short lifespan assigned to a wonder reminds the reader that intense attention may not endure.
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A young man idle, an old man needy.
Neglecting available opportunities to prepare for the future can leave someone with fewer resources later. Youth and old age frame the consequences over time.
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Advice after injury is like medicine after death.
Advice after injury compared with medicine after death makes delayed help appear unable to prevent an already completed harm. The saying values timely support.
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Advice comes too late when a thing is done.
Advice offered after an irreversible action cannot prevent what has already happened. Give relevant guidance while someone can still use it, and distinguish prevention from help with what comes next.
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