Words worth understanding
Start with the thought in plain English. Then explore the imagery, a practical example, when to use it, and what the saying does not mean.
4,000 entries with editorial explanations. The wider collection also contains entries still awaiting an individual interpretation.
proverb · Traditional
An open acknowledgement can reduce the force of an accusation by making the relevant facts clear. It does not guarantee that criticism ends or require accepting an accusation that is untrue.
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A good name preferred to fine perfume contrasts reputation with an appealing surface impression. The saying gives how conduct is remembered more value than a pleasing presentation.
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A reputation may take sustained conduct to establish and can be damaged quickly. The saying draws attention to the uneven pace of earning trust and losing it, without treating every accusation as proof.
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A well-grounded reputation can retain value when it is not being publicly displayed. The lustre-in-darkness image praises lasting character, without treating reputation as infallible evidence or guaranteeing that good conduct will always be recognised.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
The saying makes a good payer master of another person’s purse. It imagines reliable repayment bringing access to someone else’s resources.
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Someone who knows they acted wrongly may judge themselves before another person speaks. The saying describes inward accountability, but feelings of guilt alone do not prove wrongdoing or settle responsibility.
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A half truth called a whole lie warns that selective accuracy can mislead. The saying asks whether omitted context changes what a listener understands.
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An impressive covering does not by itself change what is underneath. The armour and hog contrast outward equipment with underlying qualities, but the animal comparison should not be used to dehumanise or ridicule a person.
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The saying ranks a known mistake above an unknown truth. It contrasts an acknowledged error with information not yet available.
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An unsupported claim lacks a firm basis, yet damaging gossip can spread rapidly. The contrast between legs and wings highlights the difference between a story’s credibility and the speed with which people repeat it.
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A lie travelling farther than truth contrasts rapid spread with accuracy. The saying warns that reach is not evidence of reliability.
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The saying equates a person labelled a mad man with an animal. Its blunt comparison demeans the person rather than demonstrating a lack of humanity or worth.
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A person can choose silence when speaking would be poorly timed or unhelpful. The saying invites judgment about an occasion rather than a permanent duty to remain quiet.
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The saying treats honesty as a virtue that is not spoiled simply by having more of it. Its exaggerated language praises integrity, while truthful conduct still requires care about privacy, timing and how words affect others.
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An incorrect calculation does not become valid because someone relies on it. Check an error and correct the result rather than treating a mistaken account as settled.
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The saying values a picture at a thousand words. It emphasises how an image can communicate much at once.
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A promise as cloud and fulfilment as rain contrast a sign of possibility with its realised effect. The saying values completion over assurance alone.
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A promise as comfort for a fool criticises reassurance accepted without sufficient basis. It questions relying on words before fulfilment is known.
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A promise as a debt pictures a commitment as something owed to another. It gives an assurance the weight of an obligation.
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A promise called a pleasant declaration separates agreeable wording from fulfilment not yet demonstrated. The saying asks what an assurance amounts to.
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A promise giving comfort to a fool questions reassurance accepted before fulfilment is known. The saying distrusts words used in place of practical evidence.
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A refusal preferred to a broken promise values an honest limit over an assurance that is not fulfilled. It asks for care before taking on a commitment.
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The saying repeats that a rose is a rose. It emphasises a thing’s identity rather than allowing descriptions to replace the thing itself.
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A relevant, well-established fact can settle a question more effectively than much unsupported reasoning. The ship-load exaggerates the quantity of talk, without suggesting that facts need no interpretation or that one isolated observation proves everything.
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