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)
A celebration planned for later should not displace the work or preparation needed now. Anticipation is different from treating an expected occasion as already secured.
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A long-standing hurt or dispute may be harder to resolve than a recent one. The old sore gives persistent trouble a bodily image.
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The saying repeats that an event is not over until it ends. It cautions against treating an unfinished situation as a settled result.
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The saying starts a thousand-mile journey with one step. It makes beginning a large task seem possible through a small initial action.
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Keeping a portion of what is available can help bridge the interval before another supply arrives. The saying values continuity, while a reserve is only possible when there is enough to retain and cannot make a future supply certain.
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Saying less can sometimes let a minor dispute settle sooner. Restraint may prevent extra remarks from turning an awkward moment into a larger quarrel.
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The saying asks for tomorrow to be left until tomorrow. It discourages carrying future concerns into the present unnecessarily.
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Leave a satisfactory arrangement alone when changing it would add risk without a clear benefit. Improvement is most useful when there is a real need to address.
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Small gains can add up when they are retained over time. Notice cumulative contributions rather than assuming that only a large immediate result can be useful.
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The phrase makes a search resemble finding a needle in a haystack. It emphasises a small target hidden among a large amount of material.
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The saying fills a purse through small, frequent additions. It gives accumulation a gradual rather than sudden form.
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Small additions repeated regularly can build a larger total. The purse image emphasises accumulation over time, without guaranteeing that every contribution is worthwhile or that everyone has resources available to set aside.
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A long-awaited event may eventually arrive, making the wait feel resolved. The saying expresses anticipation or relief, without proving that patience guarantees every desired result.
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An early view of a crop may disappoint while a later view encourages hope. May and June contrast stages of development rather than one permanent verdict.
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Think about likely consequences before taking an important step. Checking the risks and your options can prevent a hasty decision that is difficult to reverse.
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The saying treats lost time as something that cannot be found again. It emphasises the passing and non-repeatable character of an occasion.
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The saying compares love to a baby needing tenderness. It presents affection as something to care for gently rather than assume will sustain itself.
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People who care deeply about each other may look for ways around obstacles to their relationship. The saying expresses determination, rather than a promise of success.
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Work towards the goal promptly, but with enough care that rushing does not create mistakes and delays.
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Human effort has limits; the speaker places the final outcome within God’s will. Doing what one can is distinguished from controlling everything that happens.
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Unpleasant early weather is linked with a pleasing later display of flowers. The sequence can express hope that present conditions help prepare a later benefit.
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The saying claims that medlars become good only when rotten. In the checked horticultural context, their later softening offers a qualified reading of the apparent reversal.
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The saying grows mighty oaks from tiny acorns. It encourages respect for small beginnings that may become substantial.
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Problems can arrive quickly in large amounts yet take slow, incremental work to resolve. The unequal measures dramatise that imbalance, without predicting that every setback will be severe or that recovery has a fixed pace.
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