proverb · Traditional
All the day you’ll have good luck.
The phrase promises good luck throughout a day. It gives a favourable expectation a complete span without explaining a cause or condition.
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What does it mean?
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.
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739 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
All the keys hang not at one man's girdle.
No single person holds every means of solving a problem or gaining access. The keys suggest that knowledge, authority and opportunity may be distributed, so another person or route may help when one option fails.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional proverb
All the wit in the world is not in one head.
No individual possesses every useful insight. The saying encourages listening to other people’s understanding, especially when confidence or status makes one person assume that further contributions have nothing to offer.
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All trees are made out of wood, but pine is not mahogany.
Pine and mahogany distinguished despite both being wood illustrate differences within a shared category. The saying warns against treating common membership as sameness.
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Allow one donkey to bray at a time.
The instruction permits only one donkey to bray at a time. As a human analogy, it asks speakers to take turns rather than add overlapping noise.
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Almost and about are not lying.
Almost and about distinguished from lying allow language to express an approximation rather than an exact amount. The saying recognises qualified accuracy.
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Although Agathi is a thousand dry, it is on the outside.
The supplied wording is unclear. Its accompanying gloss rejects the value of many fruits, suggesting that abundance alone does not establish usefulness.
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Always drink upstream from the herd.
Drinking upstream from a herd gives direction a role in choosing where to take water. As an image, it asks attention to what influences a resource before it reaches someone.
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An ague in the spring, Is physic for a king.
The rhyme presents a spring ague as medicine fit for a king. It gives a feverish illness a surprising positive value rather than simply treating it as misfortune.
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An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
The rhyme makes one daily apple keep a doctor away. It promotes a simple food habit through an exaggerated health promise.
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An ass here, in another city becomes its head.
An ass in one city becoming another city’s head contrasts local judgment with authority elsewhere. The saying questions status that changes with a setting.
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An elephant does not die of one broken rib.
An elephant surviving one broken rib gives a single injury an image of limited effect on a larger whole. The saying values resilience through an exaggerated animal comparison.
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An elephant in the room.
The phrase pictures an elephant in a room as a conspicuous concern that people avoid discussing. It contrasts an obvious presence with collective silence.
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An elephant never forgets.
The saying gives an elephant a memory that never fails. It uses an animal image to praise exceptionally strong recollection.
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An empty vessel makes much noise.
The saying gives much noise to an empty vessel. As an analogy, it questions whether a conspicuous contribution contains useful substance.
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An evening red and a morning grey, Is a sign of a fair day.
The saying links a red evening and grey morning with a fair day. It combines two sky descriptions into one favourable expectation.
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An evil eye can see no good.
An evil eye unable to see good gives hostile judgment an image of selective perception. The saying questions an outlook that notices only faults.
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An ignorant consent is no consent.
Consent given without understanding is denied full consent in this moral assertion. The saying values an informed choice rather than a word of agreement alone.
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An ignorant doctor is no better than a murderer.
An ignorant doctor compared with a murderer stresses the possible harm of inadequate professional knowledge. The saying gives competence a grave responsibility.
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An imaginary illness hurts the most.
An imaginary illness hurting most gives a presumed unreal condition an extreme claim of suffering. The saying presents a judgment about perceived illness.
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An old doctor, a young lawyer.
The saying prefers an old doctor and a young lawyer. It assigns different age ideals to two professions without explaining the comparison.
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An old dog barks not in vain.
An experienced person’s warning may deserve attention. The older dog’s bark is pictured as having a reason rather than being mere noise.
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An ounce of knowledge may be worth a pound of comfort.
A small amount of useful information may help more than a large amount of reassurance. Comfort matters, but it should not replace facts that let someone understand or address the situation.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
An ounce of mother-wit is worth a pound of clergy.
The saying values a little practical judgment above a large amount of learned knowledge. Mother-wit and an older learning-related reading of clergy create the contrast.
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