proverb · Traditional
"Care not," would have.
The saying puts a claim of not caring beside a wish to have something. Its compact contrast suggests indifference may coexist with desire.
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297 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
"Welcome death," quoth the rat, when the trap fell down.
The saying gives a trapped rat the words welcome death. The unexpected welcome can be read as resignation in an image of an apparently closed escape.
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A bad day never hath a good night.
A difficult day can cast a shadow over the evening that follows. The saying expresses how trouble carries on in experience, but its word never is an exaggeration: later rest, support or a change of circumstances can still help.
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A bicycle can't stand on its own because it's two-tired.
The line jokes that a bicycle cannot stand because it is two-tired. It uses a sound-alike between having two tyres and being too tired.
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A cat has nine lives, yet care will kill a cat.
Even something imagined to be unusually resilient can be worn down by worry. The cat’s nine lives make the exaggeration of care killing it more striking.
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A change is as good as a rest.
The saying values a change as highly as a rest. It presents variety as a possible alternative source of renewal.
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A closed mouth gathers no foot.
The saying pictures a closed mouth avoiding a foot. Its bodily joke suggests that refraining from speaking can prevent a verbal blunder.
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A day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy.
One sorrowful day longer than a joyful month contrasts the felt duration of difficult and welcome experience. The saying makes emotional time vivid.
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A drowning man will catch at a straw.
Desperation can make even a very weak hope seem worth pursuing. Someone under severe pressure may reach for an option they would normally recognise as inadequate.
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A drowning man will clutch at a straw.
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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A drunken night makes a cloudy morning.
An evening of excessive drinking can leave an unpleasant aftermath. The cloudy morning gives that aftermath a visible, gloomy image.
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A fate worse than death.
The phrase compares an ordeal with something worse than death. It expresses extreme dread or suffering through exaggeration.
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A few people don’t say what they think, and some others don’t think before they speak.
Not saying what one thinks is contrasted with speaking before thinking. The saying identifies two different gaps between thought and expression.
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A fool's bolt is soon shot.
An impulsive action may be taken before its purpose or consequences have been considered. The quickly released projectile warns against mistaking a fast response for good judgement, without making speed itself foolish.
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A good conscience is a soft pillow.
The saying compares a good conscience with a soft pillow. It imagines peace about one’s conduct as a source of inward comfort.
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A good mind possesses a kingdom.
The saying gives a good mind a kingdom. It represents understanding as a rich domain that does not depend only on material possessions.
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A hundred-year-old revenge still has its baby teeth.
A century-old revenge still having baby teeth pictures a retaliatory grievance retaining youthful force despite its age. The contrast emphasises persistence.
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A hungry man, an angry man.
A person with an unmet immediate need may be irritable. The rhyme links hunger with anger as an observation about a possible circumstance.
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A light purse makes a heavy heart.
The saying contrasts a light purse with a heavy heart. It connects little money with the emotional weight of worry.
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A little pot is soon hot.
A small provocation can quickly stir a person who reacts readily. The small pot heating gives a compact image to a short temper.
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A man in a passion rides a horse that runs away with him.
Strong anger or agitation can carry a person into actions they would not choose calmly. The runaway horse suggests losing direction under an emotion, while allowing that feelings may reveal a concern worth addressing.
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A man of gladness seldom falls into madness.
The saying contrasts gladness with what it calls madness, claiming that one seldom leads to the other. It gives a cheerful disposition a protective role without evidence supplied here.
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A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride.
A proud heart enduring a shared failure because its pride is untouched contrasts common setback with a personally threatening judgment. The saying examines how comparison affects an apparent response.
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A scalded cat fears cold water.
An unpleasant experience can make someone wary even of a harmless reminder. Recognise why caution has increased, while checking whether the present situation carries the same risk as the earlier one.
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