proverb · Source-linked selection
A bushel of March dust is worth a king's ransom.
A bushel of March dust is worth a king's ransom.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
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.
What the words are saying
The dry material is measured, then compared with an enormous price. This can show how a seasonal preference is made persuasive through value language. It does not establish a literal price or verify that dryness benefits a particular crop. A useful reading identifies the imagined advantage and asks what actual evidence would support it in the case at hand.
Everyday example
A reader distinguishes the extravagant value comparison from either a price estimate or a planting rule.
When to use it
Use it to discuss exaggeration in a seasonal preference.
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What it does not mean
The price is figurative, and the agricultural benefit is not verified here.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1029 · March dust
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English