proverb · Traditional
'Tis a blot on his escutcheon.
A damaging act can leave a mark on someone’s reputation. The blot pictures conduct that spoils an otherwise respected public image.
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What does it mean?
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769 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
'Tis an ill dog that deserves not a bone.
Even someone regarded unfavourably may deserve some recognition or kindness. The bone represents a modest good that should not be withheld without thought.
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'Tis an ill guest that never drinks to his host.
A guest is encouraged to acknowledge the host’s welcome. Drinking to the host pictures a small act of reciprocal courtesy rather than a requirement to consume alcohol.
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"Say well," and "do well," end with one letter; To say well, it is well, but to do well is better.
Good words are valuable, but doing the promised or useful thing gives them practical substance. The wordplay between say well and do well favours follow-through, without making thoughtful speech useless.
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A bad custom is like a good cake, better broken than kept.
A harmful habit or convention deserves to be broken rather than preserved. The joke compares breaking a custom with cutting into a good cake, challenging the idea that keeping something intact is always a virtue.
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A bad excuse is better than none at all.
An inadequate explanation may seem preferable to offering none. The proverb values some response over silence, but a bad excuse can also mislead or weaken trust; it is not permission to invent a justification.
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A bad hair cut is two people’s shame.
A bad haircut described as two people’s shame gives an unsatisfactory result a shared embarrassment. The saying points toward both sides of an encounter.
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A bad penny always comes back.
The saying makes a bad penny return repeatedly. As a human analogy, it describes an unwelcome person or matter reappearing.
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A bad wound heals, but a bad word doesn’t.
A wound healing while a bad word does not contrasts bodily injury with the persistence of hurtful speech. The saying gives words an enduring consequence in its image.
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A bargain is a bargain.
An agreement should be taken seriously once it has been made. The repetition gives the commitment weight, while leaving room to examine whether the terms were understood, fair and within the participants’ ability to fulfil.
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A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses.
Fragrance lingering on the hand that gives roses pictures generosity leaving something pleasant with the giver. The saying values an act that may benefit both sides.
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A blind man would be glad to see it.
The saying uses an imagined blind person’s wish to see something as praise for it. Its compliment depends on a disability comparison rather than explaining the thing’s merit.
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A bribe will enter without knocking.
An improper incentive can gain access to a decision that ought to depend on fair reasons. The image warns about influence slipping past normal scrutiny, rather than claiming every gift is corrupt or every decision-maker can be bought.
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A cat in gloves catches no mice.
The saying gives a gloved cat no mice to catch. As an analogy, an added constraint is pictured as obstructing the action someone wants to perform.
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A child does not laugh at the ugliness of its mother.
A child not laughing at a mother’s supposed ugliness places affection beside a judgment of appearance. The saying asks for loyalty and respect despite an external beauty label.
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A chip of the old block.
Someone resembles a parent or another familiar predecessor in character, habits or manner. The image describes a noticeable likeness, which may be affectionate or critical depending on the trait and the speaker’s tone.
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A cigarette is a pipe with a fire at one end, a fool at the other, and a bit of tobacco in between.
The saying arranges a cigarette as fire, tobacco and a person labelled a fool. It makes a disapproving joke through a concrete object and its user.
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A clear conscience is a sure card.
Acting in a way one can honestly defend may provide steadiness under scrutiny. The clear conscience is pictured as a reliable advantage, without making someone’s confidence proof that their actions were fair or beyond question.
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A cowboy’s horse always eats first.
A cowboy’s horse eating first gives an animal’s needs priority in the care image. The saying values responsibility for a dependent working companion.
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A face that never laughs betrays an evil heart.
The saying treats a face that never laughs as revealing an evil heart. It makes an adverse moral judgment from outward expression.
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A fair face may hide a foul heart.
An attractive appearance does not establish good intentions or conduct. Judge the relevant behaviour rather than assuming that someone is trustworthy because they look appealing.
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A fault confessed is half redressed.
Acknowledging a fault begins the work of putting it right. Confession can make repair possible, but it does not by itself undo harm or entitle the person responsible to forgiveness.
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A fault once denied is twice committed.
Denying a known mistake can add dishonesty to the original fault. Trying to avoid responsibility may deepen the harm and make repair more difficult.
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A fool demands much, but he's a greater that gives it.
An unreasonable request does not become sensible merely because someone agrees to it. Consider whether what is being offered is workable and appropriate rather than accepting every demand under pressure.
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