Words worth understanding
Start with the thought in plain English. Then explore the imagery, a practical example, when to use it, and what the saying does not mean.
4,000 entries with editorial explanations. The wider collection also contains entries still awaiting an individual interpretation.
proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Admiring an undertaking does not require participating in its risks. A person can value something while choosing a more suitable or safer position.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Speaking gently need not cost the speaker anything essential. A considerate choice of words can make a difficult exchange more bearable without surrendering a necessary point.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Someone presently subordinate may later hold comparable authority. Peter and his master offer a reversal of position, without promising advancement, naming a historical Peter or treating command as the only measure of achievement.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Appearance cannot give a person resources or abilities they do not have. Recognise actual limits instead of allowing an attractive impression to create unreasonable expectations.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The hen-and-cock comparison expresses a rule that silences one voice before another. Treat it as a historical hierarchy to examine, rather than a fair principle for conversation.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A modest gift can still provide useful help. Its value depends on the recipient’s need and the way it is given, not only on its size.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Someone carrying valuable goods may receive little of their benefit. Look at how the rewards of an undertaking are shared with those whose effort makes it possible.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A joke can hurt especially when it exposes a real vulnerability. Accuracy does not make ridicule kind, useful or appropriate to the setting.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Even something small can have a noticeable effect nearby. Do not assume that limited size makes a person, contribution or obstacle entirely without consequence.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A small institution or gathering can still have someone it honours. Size does not determine whether a community has its own attachments, loyalties or valued figure.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Gentleness should not be tested by deliberately provoking harm. The bloodhound and lip image makes trust compatible with respecting another’s limits, rather than treating tolerance as permission.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Resources can influence the respect people receive. The beards and cavaliers image invites scrutiny of status-based courtesy, without treating wealth as proof of merit or poverty as a lack of worth.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Give people the recognition appropriate to their position or contribution. The historical language describes rank, while a modern reading can ask whether acknowledgement is accurate, respectful and fairly assigned.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
People sharing a road may encounter one another again. The carriers’ expected meeting encourages attention to present conduct without guaranteeing a future reversal or repayment.
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