TRADITIONAL PROVERBS

by Paolo Rossetti

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
1.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.
2.

A stitch in time saves nine.
3.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
4.

As you sow, so you shall reap.
5.

Beauty is only skin deep.
6.

Better late than never.
7.

Better safe than sorry.
8.

Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
9.

Don't cry over spilt milk.
10.

Don't judge a book by its cover.
11.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
12.

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
13.

Every cloud has a silver lining.
14.

God helps those who help themselves.
15.

Half a loaf is better than no bread.
16.

He who laughs last laughs longest.
17.

People in glass house shouldn't throw stones.
18.

Make hay while the sun shines.
19.

Necessity is the mother of invention.
20.

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
21.

One man's meat is another man's poison.
22.

Out of sight, out of mind.
23.

Rome wasn't built in a day.
24.

The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
25.

The end justifies the means.
26.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
27.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.
28.

Two heads are better than one.
29.

Waste not, want not.
30.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
31.

You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.
32.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
33.

Let sleeping dogs lie.
34.

Hunger is the best sauce.
35.

A rolling stone gathers no moss.
36.



1. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Teacher says:
 
"A bird in the hand" is something sure, something that cannot get away.

"is worth more than" means that it has more value, more importance than
something else.

"two in the bush" means two birds in the bush; and "in the bush" means
free and beyond your control.


Student says:

So, this proverb means it is better to have a small thing that is sure
instead of a big thing that is unsure?	


Teacher says:

Right! So it's like saying: "I can give you ten dollars now...
or two hundred dollars next week, maybe."

Which is better?


Student says:

A bird in the hand!


2. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Teacher says:

"In need" means when you need something, so "a friend in need" means
when YOU need a friend.

And "indeed" means something like "really", or "certainly", or "in fact".

Student says:

So this proverb means that you will know who your real friends are when
you are in need...when you really need their help.
Teacher says:

That's exactly it! You know, it's like when you have a problem and only
your true friends come to help you. All the other 'friends' will suddenly
have no more time for you.

Student says:

It must be when you move to a new apartment; only a few best friends
have time to help you. Everybody else is so busy on that day!




3. A stitch in time saves nine.
Teacher says:

"A stitch" is a simple sewing knot, a very easy thing to do.

"in time" means not too late, before a problem happens.

and "saves nine" means that a lot was saved, not ruined or hurt.

Student says:

So does that mean if I do a little something at the right time, it will
save me big problems later?

Teacher says:

Exactly! If you don't do a simple thing at the right time, 
it will cause you many problems afterwards.

Student says:

It must be like if you don't remember to do a little review before
a test, you may fail the whole course...



4. Absense makes the heart grow fonder.
Teacher says:

"Absense"  means you are not there, or you don't have something with you.
('absent' is what you are when you skip class!)

"the heart' is where your emotions, feelings, passions are.

and "grow fonder" means to appreciate something more than before.

Student says:

Hmmm..so when you have no feelings you appreciate something more?

Teacher says:

Not really. Try again: what makes your heart grow fonder?

Student says:

Absence. I got it! So, being far away from something makes you 
appreciate it more, because you miss it so much!

Teacher says:

Yes! So it's like you never notice how delicious your mother's cooking
is until you have to cook your own!

Student says:

Oh, don't remind me! I miss my family so much!!  Aaah... my mother cooks
this fantastic...[student daydreams about mother's famous cooking]




5. As you sow, so you shall reap.
Teacher says:

"to sow" is a verb that means put seeds in a field to grow something -
farmers and gardeners do that.

And "to reap" is to receive profits from your investments; in other words,
to receive some kind of benefit from your efforts.

And the sentence style: "As you do this, so you will receive that" is used
to show that 'this' is the cause of 'that'. It means that what you receive
depends on what you give.

Student says:

So if I do something good, I will receive something good. 

Teacher says:

Yep! And if you do bad...

Student says:

...you will have to memorize 100 irregular verbs for tomorrow!!



6. Beauty is only skin deep.
Teacher says:

"To be only skin deep" means it is not so deep - skin is very thin; and
also 'skin' means something that is only on the outside.

Student says:

Oh, I think I know. So, beauty is a quality that is not so important, because
it is only on the outside and what is really important is what we have inside.

Teacher says:

Perfect! A person should not be judged by his or her looks, but by the content 
of his or her character. 

Student says:

Yeah, tell it to the cosmetics industry and all those fashion magazines!





7. Better late than never.
Teacher says:

This one's easy. It's better to do something late, than to not do it at all.

Student says:

Yes, I like this one, it's perfect for two reasons.

Teacher says:

What are they?

Student says:

Well, the first one is for getting up late in the mornings...better late
than never...

Teacher says:

And the second?

Student says:

You'll find out after you start class tomorrow. [student grins mischievously]






8. Better safe than sorry.
Teacher says:

Another easy one...

Student says:

Can I explain it to you?

Teacher says:

Sure, go ahead. But in English, of course. [Student pretends to be shocked!]

Student says:

OK, 'better safe than sorry' means it's better for people to be more careful
and be safe when they do something, because if they are not careful and safe,
then they might have an accident or a problem and be sorry when it's too late.
How's that?

Teacher says:

Very good, Professor. What's E = mc2?

Student says:

I'm glad you asked, that's a very good question. [both laugh]




10. Don't cry over spilt milk.
Teacher says:

"Don't cry", as you know, means not to be sad or worry.

"Over" put after 'cry' - to cry over something - let's us know what 
the cause of the problem is.  For example, 'I cried over the death of my pet.'

And "spilt milk" is milk that has already been spilled (spilt), so it
can never be used again. It is lost forever.

Student says:

I understand. It means that if something has already happened, there is no need to
worry about it too much, because the past cannot be changed.

Teacher says:

Exactly! We also say: 'Water of a river that passes under a bridge never returns.'

Student says:

Of course it can! It goes into the oceans, evaporates, is blown over the mountains,
and returns as rain!  [Teacher leaves mouth open, but smiles a little]





9. Don't count your chickens until they are hatched.
Teacher says

This is a popular one! Let's start from the last word: 'hatched'

An egg hatches when the baby bird is born. Quite often, though, eggs are
dropped and broken - they are quite fragile.

So, the proverb means that if you have 12 eggs, don't say you have 
12 chickens until they have all safely hatched. 

Student says:

I see! This proverb warns us to be prepared for the unexpected.

Teacher says:

Right! And also not to believe things until they have actually happened.

Student says:

So I think I'll wait before buying a new sportscar...I bought a winning 
lottery ticket this morning and they'll announce it next week.





11. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Teacher says:

'To judge' is to reach some kind of decision or conclusion about something.

And the 'cover of the book' is the outside part, without having the opportunity
to see what's inside - the contents.

Student says:

Clear! It means you can't decide if something is good or bad if you can't
understand it deeply.

Teacher says:

Yes, if you don't read the book, and only look at the cover, you won't
know if it's a good book or not.

Student says:

Hmm, maybe I should try to open our course book at least once...



12. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Teacher says:

When you finish giving the baby a bath, you throw away the dirty water.

So, in this proverb the baby represents something precious and important,
and the bath water represents something useless, of no value.

Student says:

I think I understand: Does this mean we should keep what is good and 
throw away what is not?

Teacher says:

Yes, that's it. Let's say someone has an idea that has a good point but many 
bad points. Instead of throwing away the whole idea, we should take out the bad points
and keep the good points. 

Student says:

On my last essay, you threw out the water, my baby, and the bath tub! [Student winks]




13. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Teacher says:

Why don't YOU tell me about this one?

Student says:

Oh, I don't know about this one. [Student hides a smile]

Teacher says:

What do you mean? It's not that hard. You see, you will be healthy,
rich and really smart if you go to to bed early and wake up early...

Student says:

...No, no, no, I meant it cannot be for me.

Teacher says:

Huh? I don't understand..

Student says:

It says: 'Early to bed and early to rise makes a man...' You see? I'm
a woman. So sleeping late and getting up late is OK for me! [both laugh]
 


14. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Teacher says:

"A cloud" brings rain, so it is usually bad news.

And "a silver lining" is definitely good, except it is hard to find sometimes.

Student says:
I get it! So this means that every bad situation has a good part even if 
it doesn't seem so.

Teacher says:

Exactly! Even in the worst situation, we should look for something positive,
something that can help us get past that bad situation.

Student says:

Do you think my grades have a silver lining?



15. God helps those who help themselves.
Teacher says:

This proverb probably has a religious origin, but the reference to
"God helps" can also mean that something special will help.

"Those" means 'those people'

And "help themselves" means they try hard to do whatever they want to do.

Student says:

So, this means that the people who work hard to help themselves will get some
special help from God?

Teacher says:

Yes, if you believe in God; and if you don't you will get
help from somewhere else.

Student says:

Like your friend offering to do your homework for you? [big smile]



16. Half a loaf is better than no bread.
Teacher says:

As you probably know, bread is usually sold in loaves (one loaf, many loaves).

So, "half a loaf" is of lesser value than a whole loaf, but it's "better
than no bread" - better than nothing.

Student says:

I think I get it - it's like saying you should be satisfied with what you have,
and you should not always want more.

Teacher says:

Wow! You're getting pretty good at this! Soon you'll be talking like 
this all the time.

Student says:

You mean, like, man, no more cool street talk, like, totally, you know.. 


17. He who laughs last laughs loudest.
Teacher says:




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