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 (French-language collection)
An ordinary day can feel much harder when a basic need is unmet. Consider material conditions before judging another person’s mood, attention or performance.
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A difficult course may eventually change direction, like a long lane reaching a turn. The saying offers hope for change without proving that every hardship will soon resolve.
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Imperfect protection can be preferable to having none. The bush and open field contrast limited shelter with exposure, without proving that any poor option is acceptable or that a better alternative cannot be found.
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Continuous strain can weaken the capacity to continue. Allow appropriate release or rest rather than expecting a person or arrangement to remain under maximum pressure indefinitely.
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A responsibility you choose may feel more worthwhile than one imposed on you. The proverb connects willingness with how a burden is experienced, while overstating matters if it suggests freely chosen work cannot be tiring or difficult.
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The saying gives a cat nine lives. It exaggerates survival or repeated chances through an impossible-sounding count.
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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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Appreciating what is sufficient can make ordinary life feel abundant. The continual feast pictures ongoing satisfaction, without requiring someone to accept deprivation, injustice or unmet needs as though they were adequate.
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Status may bring privileges without removing ordinary difficulties. The crown represents an impressive position, while the headache stands for a trouble that remains despite outward success.
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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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The saying makes a drowning person clutch at a straw. It depicts desperation reaching for something that seems unable to provide much help.
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The phrase compares an ordeal with something worse than death. It expresses extreme dread or suffering through exaggeration.
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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 free dog ranked braver than a caged lion gives freedom an advantage over an imposing appearance. The saying contrasts agency with restricted capacity.
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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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Laughter and long sleep called the best cures give enjoyment and rest a healing image. The saying praises conditions that may be welcome in everyday life.
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Favourable conditions and sound judgment are separate advantages. A smooth route cannot choose a destination or decide how someone travels; an easy opportunity still calls for attention and thoughtful choices.
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The saying pictures a growing young person’s appetite as unusually large. The wolf image is humorous exaggeration rather than a standard of what every young person should eat.
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The saying makes a handsome shoe pinch its wearer. It contrasts an attractive appearance with discomfort in actual use.
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A house given its inhabitant’s character treats a dwelling as an expression of the person living there. The saying connects environment with habits or choices.
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Pressing need can make someone use what is available more completely. The hungry horse leaving an empty manger suggests that circumstances shape consumption, without proving deprivation or making limited provision acceptable.
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A hungry wolf never resting gives an unmet need a restless image. The saying connects pressure with continuing effort to meet it.
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The value of a life can be considered through its actions rather than its length alone. The saying honours worthwhile conduct, without reducing someone’s worth to productivity or supplying one universal measure of a good life.
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Life with love praised and life for love condemned distinguish affection as part of life from making it the whole purpose. The saying values a broader balance.
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