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 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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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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The saying solders a broken friendship but denies that it becomes sound. It presents repaired trust as permanently weakened.
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A clenched fist unable to give or take gives closed posture an image of blocked exchange. The saying values openness through a physical metaphor.
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The saying imagines a dark man especially attractive to a fair woman. Its jewel metaphor praises a contrast in appearance from the imagined observer’s perspective.
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A deaf husband and blind wife called happy associates marital harmony with not hearing or seeing. The saying uses disabilities and gender roles to imply selective inattention.
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The saying gives dogs the role of a person’s best friend. It expresses affection for animal companionship.
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A considerate approach can win cooperation more readily than a sour or hostile one. Honey and vinegar contrast inviting and repellent manners, rather than offering a literal rule about catching insects.
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Having resources can ease some burdens of a difficult situation. Fat and lean sorrow contrast hardship with and without material support.
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A fig tree along the way presented as enough against starvation gives a timely resource an image of relief. The saying values help encountered when needed.
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A fool occupied with everyone’s business except their own questions attention that avoids a relevant responsibility. The saying criticises misplaced involvement.
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Handling a fool like a small fish in a pan compares an interaction with something requiring care. The saying gives delicacy a role in dealing with a person it disparages.
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An influential supporter can sometimes secure help that money alone cannot obtain. The saying values access through a relationship, while leaving open whether that access is legitimate assistance or unfair favouritism.
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The saying prefers a nearby friend to a distant relative. It values available support over a relationship that may be harder to reach.
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Someone familiar with a decision-making process may help another person navigate it more quickly. The saying can describe useful guidance, but it also invites questions about favouritism and unequal access.
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A friend’s support during a difficult time can reveal the strength of the friendship. Reliability when help is inconvenient often matters more than agreeable company when everything is easy.
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Building a friendship can take longer than damaging it. Treat trust with care, because a careless act may undo a relationship that took repeated effort to establish.
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Friendship as a paved road and enmity as a wall contrast connection with obstruction. The saying gives relationships a role in what becomes possible.
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The saying denies deep friendship to someone friendly with everyone. It questions whether broad sociability allows particular commitment.
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Trying to please everyone can make personal loyalty seem shallow or unreliable. The saying questions indiscriminate promises of friendship, without establishing that a welcoming person cannot maintain sincere relationships with many others.
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The saying makes a friend’s eye a mirror. It values the perspective a trusted friend can offer about oneself.
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The saying prefers a friend’s frown to an opponent’s smile. It values candid concern over an attractive appearance of goodwill.
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Wealth can attract attention that looks like friendship. Notice whether people value your company and wellbeing, or mainly the benefits they receive from being near you.
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A gift offered with warmth can provide both practical help and a sense of being cared for. The manner of giving matters alongside the thing that is given.
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