proverb · Words worth keeping
'Tis an ill guest that never drinks to his host.
'Tis an ill guest that never drinks to his host.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A guest is encouraged to acknowledge the host’s welcome. Drinking to the host pictures a small act of reciprocal courtesy rather than a requirement to consume alcohol.
What the words are saying
The saying judges a guest who receives hospitality without returning a gesture of appreciation. Its social point can be retained without prescribing a particular drink, ritual or public performance. A sincere thank-you, practical help or another appropriate acknowledgment may serve the same purpose. Hospitality should not create pressure to ignore health, belief or personal boundaries. A useful reading concerns mutual consideration rather than compulsory conformity to the host’s preferred custom.
Everyday example
A guest who declines a toast still thanks the host warmly and offers help with clearing the table.
When to use it
Use it to encourage appreciation for hospitality in a form the guest freely chooses.
What it does not mean
Courtesy does not require alcohol, participation in a ritual or surrender of personal boundaries.
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 734 · Guest
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English