proverb · Words worth keeping
Cold of complexion, good of condition.
Cold of complexion, good of condition.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pairs a cold complexion with good condition. It gives a favourable judgment to one described quality without explaining the criterion or setting.
What the words are saying
The two short descriptions make the connection sound settled, while complexion may be an unfamiliar historical term in this context. A responsible reading does not invent a temperament system, diagnosis or bodily mechanism. It identifies the stated favourable association and the missing explanation, allowing the source’s brevity to remain visible.
Everyday example
A reader asks what complexion and condition mean in the setting before using the phrase to judge a person.
When to use it
Use it to examine an unexplained favourable association in older wording.
What it does not mean
The terms’ precise intended sense and any health relationship are not independently established 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 301 · Complexion
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English