Learn English Proverbs

‫األمثال في اللغة االنجليزية‬

‫مع شرح مبسط للمعاني باالنجليزية أيضا‬
ً

‫أتمنى لكم المتعة والفائدة‬

Between the devil and the deep sea

To choose between two equally bad alternatives in a
serious dilemma.

Where there's a will there's a way

When a person really wants to do something, he will
find a way of doing it.

A burnt child dreads fire

A bad experience or a horrifying incident may scar
one's attitude or thinking for a lifetime.

First come, first served

The first in line will be attended to first.
A friend in need is a friend indeed
A friend who helps when one is in trouble is a real
friend.

Discretion is the better part of valor

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If you say discretion is the better part of valor,
you mean that avoiding a dangerous or unpleasant
situation is sometimes the most sensible thing to do.

A hungry man is an angry man

A person who does not get what he wants or needs
is a frustrated person and will be easily provoked to
rage.

Empty vessels make the most noise Those people

who have a little knowledge usually talk the most
and make the greatest fuss.

A man is as old as he feels

A person's age is immaterial - it is only when he
thinks and feels that he is ageing that he actually
becomes old.

Great talkers are little doers

Those people who talk a lot and are always teaching
others usually do not do much work.

An idle brain is the devil's workshop One who has

nothing to do will be tempted to do many
mischievous acts.

An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit

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It is better to be careful and discrete than to be
clever.

Faint heart never won fair lady

To succeed in life one must have the courage to
pursue what he wants.

A penny saved is a penny gained

By being thrifty one will be able to save up.

A rolling stone gathers no moss

A person who never settles in one place or who
often changes his job will not succeed in life ; one
who is always changing his mind will never get
anything done.

As you sow, so you shall reap

One will either enjoy or suffer the consequences of
his earlier actions or inactions.

Barking dogs seldom bite

Those who make loud threats seldom carry them
out.

Better late than never

To do something that is right, profitable, or good a
little late is still better than not doing it at all.
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A bird in hand is worth two in the bush
Something that one already has is better than going
after something seemingly more worthwhile that one
may not be able to get.

Birds of a feather flock together People of the

same sort of character or belief always go
together.

Call a spade a spade

If you say that someone calls a spade a spade, you
mean that they speak frankly and directly, often
about embarrassing or unpleasant subjects; an
informal expression.

Charity begins at home

A person's first obligation should be to help the
member of his own family before he can begin
thinking of talking about helping others.

Dead men tell no lies

( often used as an argument for killing someone
whose knowledge of a secret may cause one loss or
get into serious trouble.)

A great talker is a great liar

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A smooth and persuasive talker may be a good liar.

Every cloud has a silver lining

If you say that every cloud has a silver lining, you
mean that every sad or unpleasant situation has a
positive side to it. If you talk about silver lining you
are talking about something positive that comes out
of a sad or unpleasant situation.

All that glitters is not gold

Do not be deceived by things or offers that appear
to be attractive.

Eat to live, but do not live to eat Man was created

for a divine purpose and he has a destiny with his
Creator - he was not born just to enjoy food.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket One should not
risk everything he has in a single venture.
Every dog has its day
Everyone will get a period of success or satisfaction
during his lifetime.

Every one can find fault, few can do better

It is easier to find fault in other people's actions or
methods than to do it properly or correctly.

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Any time means no time
When an event is not decided on or planned earlier
it will never take place.

Fair exchange is no robbery

A contract is fair as long as both the parties
understand and agree to the conditions willingly;
after a deal is closed neither side can turn around
and say that he was unfairly treated.

Fire is a good servant but a bad master Fire, like

any other manmade tool or device, will serve man
well only when it is controlled and used wisely.
Actions speak louder than words
Children usually learn more from the examples set
by their elders than from what they are told ; a
person's character is judged by the thing she does
and not by what he says; actions give evidence or
proof of.

Fortune knocks once at every man's door

Everyone gets at least one good opportunity in his
lifetime; everyone has the opportunity to be
successful in life.

Give the devil his due

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Be just and fair-minded , even to the one who does
not deserve much or who is unfriendly or unfair; we
should punish a person according to his wrongdoings.

God helps those who help themselves God only helps

those people who work hard and make an honest
effort.

It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good

A bad or evil occurrence.

Great minds think alike

Wise people will normally think and behave alike in
certain situations.

Habit is second nature

An act done repeatedly and often enough will sooner
or later become a habit or second nature.

He laughs best who laughs last

A person who does his best is the one who will get
the greatest satisfaction in the end.

Never do things by halves

One should not do an incomplete or imperfect job -
certain tasks must not be left half done; they must
be done away with immediately.
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Great haste makes great waste
If one does things hastily he will make a lot of
mistakes - he will need to spend a lot of time
correcting those mistakes later.

It's never too late to mend

It is never too late to correct one's mistakes or
faults.

It's no use crying over spilt milk

It is pointless to feel remorseful over a thing lost
that can never be found or a mistake done that can
never be corrected or rectified.

Still waters run deep

One who is usually silent and goes about his business
quietly may be a very wise person.

Jack of all trades and master of none Is a person

who can do almost anything, but he rarely excels in
any of them.

Let bygones by bygones

One should consider forgiving one's and forget all
the bad deeds done by others.

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Let not the pot call the kettle black
A person who has a fault should not point out the
same fault in another; do not criticize another
person as you may have the same weakness.

Let sleeping dogs lie

One should preferably avoid discussing issues that
are likely to create trouble.

No news is good news

When there is no news, it is likely that everything
is all right.

Look before you leap

Avoid acting hastily, without considering the possible
consequences.

Necessity is the mother of invention When a person

is in great need of something, he will find a way of
getting it.

Honesty is the best policy

Being honest is believed to be the best route to
take.

One man's meat is another man's poison No two

persons are alike - every one has his own
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preferences, likes and dislikes.

Once bitten twice shy

If a person has been tricked once he will more be
careful and alert the next time.

Like father, like son, like mother, like daughter

( used to describe a child's behavior when he or she
acts like the father or mother )

Practice makes perfect

It is believed that if one practices a certain skill
often, he will excel in it

Prevention is better than cure

It is better to be careful beforehand than to try to
solve a problem after it has arisen.

Rome was not built in a day

Any great plan or big dream cannot be achieved
overnight or easily.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul

( this is quoted when one takes another loan to pay
off an earlier loan ) taking from one to give
another.

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Spare the rod and spoil the child
A child who is not punished and showed the error of
his ways will become unruly.

Speech is silver, silence is golden Talk may be

beneficial, but sometimes acquiescence may be the
best option to take.

It takes two to make a quarrel

Both parties in a quarrel should share the blame or
take responsibility for it; no one can start a quarrel
all by himself.

Strike while the iron is hot

Seize a good opportunity as quickly as possible.

There's no smoke without fire Rumors do not spread

unless there is some element of truth in them.

Time and tide wait for no one

Time is precious, once it is past no one can go back
and claim it thus everyone should be mindful of how
his time is spent.

To err is human, to forgive divine

It is only normal for man to make mistakes and do
wrong, but for one to forgive another for his wrong
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is indeed great and gracious act.

What's done can't be undone

In life there are some things once done or decisions
once made cannot be changed; malicious words once
uttered or harmful actions once done cannot be
taken back.

Two heads are better than one

It is always better to get the view of another than
to rely entirely on one's own judgment.

When in Rome do as the Romans do When one is in

a new place, country or situation he must adapt
himself to the new manners and customs.

When the cat is away the mice will play When law
enforcers are not present, certain public members
will take the opportunity to break the law

Absence makes the heart grow fonder One usually

desires another more when he or she is far away.

A bad workman always blames his tools A careless

or unskilled worker blames bad work on his tools
rather than himself.
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A new broom sweeps clean
A person newly appointed is always eager and
enthusiastic in his work.

Don't judge a book by its cover

Do not be deceived by appearances.

Blood is thicker than water

Family ties are stronger than any other.

Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

Do not make plans based on something that has not

happened.

Don't make a mountain out of a molehill Do not

make a big fuss or issue over something minor or
small

Experience is the best teacher

The best way to learn a job is to do it.

The last straw that broke the camel's back

The final thing that, when added to a bad or
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unpleasant situation, causes failure or ruin.

Look at the bright side

Be optimistic

Make hay while the sun shines

Seize opportunities

Out of sight, out of mind

You will soon forget friends you do not meet or keep
in contact with.

A leopard cannot change its spots

A person's nature cannot change.

There are two sides to every question There are

always two ways of looking at something

Too many cooks spoil the broth

Too many people doing the same thing at the same
time will not be successful

We never miss the water till the well runs dry

You only realize the importance of something when it
is gone

To put the cart before the horse To do something

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in an incorrect order

Bite off more than one can chew

To try to do something one is unable to do or
incapable of doing.

Half a loaf is better than none

It's better to have or receive less than one desires
than to have or receive nothing at all.

Have an old head on young shoulders Youngsters who

possess qualities of wisdom one would only expect to
find in experienced older people.

Have eyes in the back of one's head An ability to

know what is happening not within the scope of one's
vision.

If it's not one thing it's another The troubles seem

to go on and on without end.

The sky is the limit

There is no upper limit to something

A trouble shared is a trouble halved Your troubles

seem half as great when you discuss them with
someone else
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A watched pot never boils
If you watch or wait for something to get done or
to happen it seems to take forever

Worship the ground somebody walks on Very much in

love with somebody

Between a rock and a hard place

To be in a difficult situation from which there
seems to be no escape

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

To be clean and tidy is just as important as being
spiritually good and religious.

Money is the root of all evil

Crimes and wickedness are associated with money.

Two's company, three's a crowd

It is always fun while there are only two people
whereas the third person is an unwelcome intrusion.

It takes all sorts to make a world You should not

expect everyone to think and act as you do.

Jump from the frying pan into the fire To go from

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a bad position to a worse one.

Go from the sublime to the ridiculous Move from one

situation which is wonderful or perfect to another
which is absurd or awful

One swallow doesn't make a summer One success

doesn't guarantee complete success

Truth is stranger than fiction

Real life can be more incredible than anything which
can be imagined

You can't have your cake and eat it You must

choose between two things as it is impossible to
have both at the same time

A miss is as good as a mile Something that one

already has is better than something that one may
not be able to get

As you make your bed so must you lie on it

You must accept the consequences of your act

Cut your coat according to your cloth Live within

your income; don't be too ambitious in your plans

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To Be Continued

Back...

All's fish that comes the net

When something comes our way we should consider
how it might be useful or benefit us.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

It means that apples are so nutritious they keep you
in the peak of health.

Be on the safe side

To take special precautions to avoid making a
mistake

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

What is beautiful to one person may not be
beautiful to others.

Beggars can't be choosers

Someone in need should be grateful for what is
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given to him -- even if it's not what he wants or
expects

The blind leading the blind

A person helping or advising someone knows as little
about the subject as the person who is being
advised.

The buck stops here

It means final decision or total responsibility for an
action

Burn the candle at both ends

Those who are always busy and seem to get little
rest

Buy a pig in a poke

Buy something without examining it for faults or
checking to see if they are really getting what they
believe they have purchased

Catch as catch can

To do anything or use any means to achieve an aim
or reach a goal.
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Children should be seen and not heard
To stop a child from asking questions, talking, or
making unnecessary noise.

Christmas comes but once each year

An excuse to indulge in food and drink and spend
money during the Christmas season.

Cry over spilled milk

It's pointless to get upset or feel regret about a
loss or mistake that can't be undone

Curiosity killed the cat

To warn people not to show too much interest in
affairs that don't concern them.

Cut off your nose to spite your face

When people are dissatisfied or angry, they
sometimes react by doing foolish things that prove
harmful to themselves.
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The devil finds work for idle hands
Unless one keeps busy doing useful or constructive
things he could be tempted into mischief or evil.

The devil has the best tunes

To do something unworthy because it gives you
pleasure

Dog eat dog

In competitive situations where each person has his
own interests at heart, it is usually the strong and
the determined who succeed.

An exception to the rule

Something does not conform to or agree with a rule

Fling/throw mud at someone

To say evil or bad things about someone and in doing
so, to damage his or her reputation.

A fool and his money are soon parted

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A person who spends his money foolishly will soon be
penniless

Forgive and forget

Excusing or pardoning someone for doing something

Give someone enough rope and he will hang himself

If we allow someone to continue in his bad ways
he'll eventually bring about his own downfall or ruin.

Grin and bear it

To put up with discomfort or a bad situation without
complaining.

He who pays the piper calls the tune

The person who pays for something has the right to
do as he wants.

Hide your light under a bushel

Concealing your talents, skills or abilities

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Hitch one's wagon to a star
To Move forward in a way to improve your chances
of achieving success.

Home is where the heart is

No matter where you are, 'home' is where you feel
most comfortable and content.

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride

If we could get all the things we wanted just by
making a wish, everyone would have all he ever
wanted.

If you can't lick them, join them

If you cannot defeat an opponent or get him to
change his ideas, plans or way of doing things, the
best thing is to change your ideas, plans, etc.

In for a penny, in for a pound

If we decide to do something, we should commit
ourselves to it boldly and completely.

A job worth doing is a job worth doing well

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When you do something you should do it as well as
you can.

Keep the wolf from the door

To avoid hunger and poverty

Laugh and the world laughs with you

When someone is in a happy, cheerful mood, people
like being with him.

Least said, soonest forgotten

The less we say about it the sooner the incident will
be forgotten.

A chicken and egg question

A mysterious question which can't be answered

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make

him drink
We can help, show or encourage someone to do
something but we can't make him do what he is
unwilling or unable to do
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Life is just a bowl of cherries
Life is full of happiness and pleasure

Like a bull in a china shop

A clumsy or tactless person

Lock the stable door after the horse has bolted

Once a mistake has been made or an error
committed, it's too late to take precautions to
prevent it from happening.

The longest day must have an end

All difficult jobs or situations also have an end.

Losers weepers, finders keepers

If someone loses something, he weeps -- but if
someone finds it, he keeps it.

Love me, love my dog

If we want a person's friendship we must accept
him totally, faults and all.

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Many hands make light work
Many people sharing a job or tasks make easier
work of it.

The mountain labors and brings forth a mouse

To work hard and long on a project that turns out
to be pretty useless.

Opportunity only knocks once

Seize an opportunity when it occurs for it may never
happen again.

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of

cure
It is even better to be cautious and prevent a
misfortune or an accident from happening.

Possession is nine points of the law

In disputes over property ownership, the person in
possession of something is sometimes said to have
nine-tenths a chance of winning it in a legal
argument

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Promises are like pie crust
Most promises cannot be kept

Put a quart into a pint pot

Doing something that's impossible

The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike

No matter how good or bad a person, he must still
face the everyday problems that confront us all.

The sins of the fathers will be visited upon the

children
People will be punished for the wrongs committed by
their parents, forefathers, or those who have
preceded them.

Someone's bark is worse than his bite

People sometimes bark but in time we learn they're
not always as frightening as they seem.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

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To do something unworthy just because it gives you
the pleasure

A stitch in time saves nine

By taking immediate action we can prevent a fault,
damage or trouble from getting worse

A straw will show which way the wind blows

A small incident can reveal an important event

Teach an old dog new tricks

It is impossible to change someone's ways or habits,
especially if he is old and resists change

That's where the shoe pinches

That's the source or cause of a problem or an
annoyance

There are none so blind as those that will not see

People ,who never admit they might be wrong,
refuse to listen to the opinions or ideas of anyone

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There are none so deaf as those who will not hear
People sometimes hear only what they want to hear

There's more than one way to skin a cat

There is more than one way of getting a job done

The thin end of the wedge

That something can appear to be small and of no
particular importance - yet it can turn out to be
the beginning of a major problem.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

It means that though something beautiful may not
last, the happy memory of it will live forever.

Time heals old wounds

The passing of time helps us to forget things that
have caused us pain or made us unhappy.

The truth will out

Truth about something will eventually be discovered

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or made known

Turn up like a bad penny

Something or someone disliked just won't go away

Two wrongs do not make a right

If a person does something to harm or offend us,
that's wrong. If we do something to harm them
back, that's wrong too.

Uneasy is the head that wears the crown

Notable or important people are often concerned
about losing their positions.

Waste not, want not

If we're careful and waste nothing we'll never go
without things we need.

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

Most men love to eat so feed your husband well and
he will always love you.

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Wear out one's welcome
One is no longer welcome, usually because he has
become a nuisance

When poverty comes in the door, love flies out the

window
As soon as a happily married couple begin having
financial problems and the bills pile up their love will
disappear.

Who keeps company with wolves, will learn to howl

If we associate with bad companions we, too, will
become bad

You pays your money and you takes your chances

A humorous way of saying that we sometimes must
trust in luck when buying something.

Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them

If you are rich and successful, you will attract
many friends, but if you should suffer hardship or
have misfortune ( adversity ), your friends will
quickly depart.
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A constant guest is never welcome
We are apt to grow to dislike friends who visit us
too often

Catch not at the shadow and lose the substance

We should not waste time on trivial aspects of a
matter and neglect the essential matter itself.

If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the
ditch
Those without knowledge should not try to teach the
ignorant.

Kindle not a fire you cannot put out

Do not start something you cannot control or resolve

Do unto others as you would others do unto you

Treat others as you would like them to treat you.

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Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
Foolish people tend to act too hastily and do things
that wise people would avoid.

A contented mind is a perpetual feast

Contentment of mind is the cause of lasting
happiness.

History tends to repeat itself

What has happened once is liable to happen again.

Cross the stream where it is shallowest

Don't make things difficult for yourself; always find
the simplest means of achieving your objective.

It is useless to flog a dead horse

It is no use spending your time and energy on an
activity or belief that is already widely rejected or
outdated. Every oak must be an acorn Everything
has to have a small beginning.

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A good name is sooner lost than won
It takes a long time to build up a good reputation
which can be easily destroyed by misconduct.

Do not cross a bridge till you come to it

Do not worry about something before it has
happened

The best fish swim near the bottom

The best things are hard to come by

You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

You cannot change a person's real character

It never rains but it pours

Events, especially misfortunes, always come
together and not one at a time.

A house divided against itself cannot stand

Discord breaks up families.

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The darkest hour is that before dawn
Even when things seem at their very worst, they
may shortly improve.

Variety is the spice of life

Life becomes very monotonous without some break
or change in the daily routine.

Do not have too many irons in the fire

If we attempt to do too much at once, we shall not
do anything properly

A light purse makes a heavy heart

We cannot be cheerful when we have financial
problems.

The pen is mightier than the sword

The written word is more to be feared than physical
violence

A nod is as good as a wink

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A hint or suggestion can be accepted and acted upon
without further elaboration.

Do not ride the high horse

Do not be arrogant

Even Homer sometimes nods

Even the best of us are liable to make mistakes.

There is no place like home

Even a simple home is the best place in the world
for the people who live in it.

A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet

It is not what a thing is called that matters, but

what it is.

Every flow must have its ebb

Life has its ups and downs, neither good fortune nor
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ill fortune lasts forever

Best Regards

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