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
Good intentions may not be enough when an activity requires resources. Recognise the practical costs that make a plan possible instead of assuming enthusiasm alone will carry it forward.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Saving cannot preserve a resource once it has already been exhausted. The bare bottom of a container makes the warning about timing concrete.
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Having nothing is presented as leaving nothing further to lose through bankruptcy. The paradox may question dependence on possessions, but it understates the insecurity of poverty and should not suggest that deprivation offers freedom from risk or a desirable condition.
Read the explanation and example ↗quote · Miguel De Cervantes
A benefit you already possess may be worth more than a larger benefit you only hope to obtain. Weigh a secure result against the chance of losing it.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Dry March conditions are pictured as extremely valuable. A bushel of dust worth a king’s ransom exaggerates the benefit the saying assigns to that weather.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
A year with abundant cherries is imagined as a joyful one. The rhyme associates a pleasing yield with celebration.
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The saying regards a cold April as a sign of a well-filled barn later. It turns an unwelcome immediate condition into a hoped-for harvest benefit.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
The saying connects cold, windy May weather with a full barn later. It expresses confidence that the named conditions will produce ample provision.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
The saying expects a cold May to be followed by plenty of corn and hay. The short rhyme makes an uncomfortable condition a promise of provision.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional proverb
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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A dog owning nothing yet seldom dissatisfied contrasts possessions with an imagined contentment. The saying questions wealth as a complete measure of satisfaction.
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The saying places the beginning of famine in England at the horse’s feeding place. It gives a broad shortage a particular imagined starting point.
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Spending heavily on present comforts can leave fewer resources for later purposes. A generous kitchen is contrasted with a small remainder.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Having resources can ease some burdens of a difficult situation. Fat and lean sorrow contrast hardship with and without material support.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
An attractive setting cannot replace the essentials needed to live or work within it. Consider whether an impressive arrangement actually provides the support it appears to promise.
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Careless judgement can cause someone to lose money quickly. Before parting with a resource, look beyond an attractive promise and check what you are actually agreeing to receive.
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Acquiring money and using it thoughtfully are different abilities. The saying values judgement about purpose and consequences, without making earning proof of foolishness or treating spending as inherently better than saving.
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Having a great deal can create a greater burden of care. The full cup suggests that abundance or responsibility is harder to carry safely when there is little room for error.
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Material resources can give someone more confidence or influence in a conversation. The full-purse image notices that advantage, but it should not make wealth a measure of truth, wisdom or entitlement to speak over people with fewer resources.
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Resources can give someone confidence or influence in speaking. The full purse is pictured as enabling a voice that might otherwise hesitate or be ignored.
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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 gardener’s dog neither using cabbage nor allowing anyone else to use it contrasts possession with obstruction. The saying questions preventing a benefit one does not need.
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The saying gives a good mind a kingdom. It represents understanding as a rich domain that does not depend only on material possessions.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
The saying makes a good payer master of another person’s purse. It imagines reliable repayment bringing access to someone else’s resources.
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