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
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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Repeated practice can become so familiar that it feels natural. Second nature describes that acquired ease, without proving that a habit is good, unchangeable or shared by everyone.
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Familiarity and repetition can make an activity easier to manage. The word anything exaggerates that benefit, without proving that practice removes every difficulty or that lack of ease shows insufficient effort.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Even people considered wise may follow a fashion they did not examine. The contrast questions imitation based on acceptance, without proving that every novelty or popular choice is foolish.
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Doing something once can create an expectation that it will continue. The saying warns about a precedent becoming customary, without proving that a single occasion permanently binds anyone to repeat it.
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A small institution or gathering can still have someone it honours. Size does not determine whether a community has its own attachments, loyalties or valued figure.
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When entering an unfamiliar place or group, learn its ordinary customs and adapt where appropriate. Respectful participation often begins with noticing how others do things.
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