Words worth understanding
Start with the thought in plain English. Then examine its imagery, practical application and limitations.
2,058 selected entries have editorial explanations. An explanation is not independent authentication of an attribution. Start with the individually source-checked classics ↗
proverb · Traditional
Dependence on a single way out can leave someone with few options when that route is blocked. The mouse’s one hole pictures vulnerability, without making every arrangement require many alternatives or promising that a backup will always help.
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The saying values meat close to the bone. As an explicit analogy, it can suggest that something less showy or easily reached may still be especially rewarding.
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Someone who appears successful may persuade an uncertain listener more easily. The saying points to the influence of favourable circumstances on credibility.
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Repeated exposure to a risk can eventually end badly, even when earlier attempts succeeded. The pitcher image warns against treating a run of safe outcomes as a guarantee that the same action will remain safe.
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The saying pictures a thorn coming out with its point facing forward. As an explicit analogy, a difficult encounter may announce its sharpness from the start.
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A later change can remove what an earlier change supplied. The ebb and returning tide picture a temporary gain that may not stay in place.
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The most prominent position may also bring exposure or instability. The highest-branch image questions equating status with security, while it does not prove that advancement is dangerous or provide instructions for climbing or physical safety.
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The person directly affected often understands the specific difficulty best. Ask about their experience before deciding what the problem is or how to fix it.
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An undertaking may fail at a weaker part. The cart-wheel’s spoke encourages attention to what the whole depends on.
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You may recognise the value of something most clearly when it is missing. Absence can reveal how much an ordinary resource, habit or contribution had been supporting your life.
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The saying uses several ways of killing a dog as an image of multiple means to an end. A humane application concerns alternative methods for a harmless task.
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Threats do not always become actions. The saying distinguishes an announced harm from its fulfilment but offers no reliable measure of the danger in a particular case.
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A goal may have more than one possible method. The saying uses a harsh image to encourage finding an alternative when a chosen approach fails.
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A favourable opportunity may need action while its conditions last. The high tide pictures a moment when progress is easier than it will be later.
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Both speaking and remaining silent can be appropriate, depending on the situation. Judge what the moment requires instead of treating either constant speech or constant restraint as wise in itself.
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A general rule may not fit every particular case. Use it as guidance while checking whether the circumstances justify a different judgement.
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The saying humorously contrasts ordinary uncertainty with obligations and limits that people cannot simply wish away. Death and taxes form its emphatic pair, rather than a complete account of what is certain or a rule about any person’s tax liability.
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Affection can make each partner see their own relationship as especially fortunate. The exaggerated claim of one good wife exposes the partiality of personal praise.
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Avoid turning a choice into two extremes when a reasonable middle course exists. Rejecting elaborate presentation does not require abandoning ordinary care.
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Losing one opportunity need not mean that every worthwhile possibility is gone. The remaining fish offer perspective, without guaranteeing an equal replacement or making a particular loss unimportant.
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Having a small usable resource can be reassuring when a need arises. Calling a penny a companion praises its practical usefulness, without making money a substitute for affection, company or care.
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Repeating a harmful experience can invite reflection on what could be learned from it. The shipwreck comparison asks about a second exposure, but it unfairly assumes control if used to blame people for danger, coercion or circumstances they could not avoid.
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Someone’s visible direction or stated intention may differ from what their actions achieve. Compare the actual course with the impression being given before relying on that impression.
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When a preferred course is unavailable, consider what can realistically be done. The contrast between will and can separates desire from present capacity.
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