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
The saying calls barley straw good fodder when the cow gives water. It connects a judgment of feed with an unusual description of the animal’s output.
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The saying expects beans to blossom before May ends. It turns a stage of growth into a calendar expectation.
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What someone finds beautiful depends partly on the person looking. Different viewers can respond differently to the same face, object or place.
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The saying pairs big thunder with little rain. It contrasts an impressive sound with a comparatively small result.
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The saying contrasts birds of prey with singing birds. As an explicit analogy, a threatening role may be imagined as lacking the charm associated with a pleasant voice.
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The saying regards calm June weather as helping corn develop well. Setting it in tune turns crop growth into a harmonious musical image.
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The rhyme takes descending chimney smoke as a sign that pleasant weather is ending. It connects the smoke’s movement with a coming change.
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The rhyme connects a clear view of the moon with frost soon. It makes a visible night sky a sign of expected cold.
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Coyote waiting and remaining hungry presents a persistent appetite or presence. The repeated always gives the figure an enduring, watchful force.
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Day and night unable to dwell together picture a contrast between conditions that do not occupy the same role. The saying presents an incompatibility image.
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A dangerous tigress sparing her cubs contrasts outward threat with presumed protection of close kin. The saying gives care a boundary within a fierce image.
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A powerful lion without wings gives gratitude an image of a threat being less extensive than imagined. The saying shifts attention from what is frightening to an additional difficulty absent from the scene.
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A sheltering forest not to be called a jungle contrasts received protection with a dismissive description. The saying asks for regard toward what offers support.
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Burning a forest to remove wolves pictures a remedy destroying the surrounding good with the perceived problem. The saying warns against disproportionate action.
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Getting fruit without cutting down its tree favours meeting a need while preserving its source. The saying questions a destructive way of obtaining a benefit.
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A condor’s flight beside high mountains warns against copying an ability one may not possess. The saying connects ambition with the demands of an undertaking.
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The saying puts sticking doors and drawers before rain. It interprets a change in household movement as a weather sign.
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An eagle unable to rise above the stars gives even impressive power a limit. The saying questions treating strength as unlimited.
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A fire small at first gives a modest beginning the image of potential growth. The saying asks attention to what may develop from an initial condition.
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A period of strength or abundance may recede. The ebb reminds the reader that a favourable condition need not remain at its peak.
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Living beings are pictured as seeking continued existence. The saying can invite attention to the value of life beyond a person’s immediate convenience.
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The phrase compares someone’s eyes with a hawk’s. It praises sharp observation or noticing details through an animal image.
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The saying imagines February filling ditches with dark rainwater or white snow and favours the white form. It assigns value to contrasting winter conditions.
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February is pictured as building an icy bridge that March breaks. The months become makers and destroyers of a temporary winter crossing.
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