proverb · Words worth keeping
Under water famine, under snow bread.
Under water famine, under snow bread.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying contrasts water-covered ground with snow-covered ground, assigning scarcity to the first and bread to the second. It gives two winter conditions opposite values.
What the words are saying
Famine and bread turn the appearance of the ground into a prediction about provision. This can show weather judged through the needs of a household or community rather than immediate comfort. It does not establish that floodwater always causes shortage or that snow guarantees food. A careful reading describes the contrast while keeping actual effects and supply conditions open to evidence.
Everyday example
Someone studying harvest lore notes the opposite outcomes without using the rhyme to estimate real food availability.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a seasonal contrast expressed through provision.
What it does not mean
This is not a verified agricultural or food-supply rule.
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 544 · Famine
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English