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
A mutually agreed exchange can benefit both sides without one person simply taking from the other. The saying presents trading as reciprocal, but agreement and fair terms need examination rather than being assumed from the word exchange.
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Praise so weak or qualified that it seems reluctant can convey criticism. The saying notices the message around the compliment, without proving that every brief or reserved acknowledgement is intended to disparage.
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Kind or pleasing words cannot replace the practical help needed to meet a real need. Check whether reassurance is accompanied by the action the situation requires.
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Do not let a small disagreement needlessly destroy a worthwhile friendship. Consider the importance of the issue and seek a proportionate response before turning irritation into a lasting quarrel.
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The saying ranks false friendship as worse than open hostility. It emphasises the difficulty of relying on someone whose goodwill is deceptive.
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Favouring one’s own before others gives a close group priority. The saying expresses an ordering of loyalty or assistance.
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Fifty lemons a load for one but perfume for fifty transform a burden through distribution. The saying pictures a task becoming more manageable when many share it.
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The saying ranks first impressions as the most enduring. It gives an initial encounter special weight in how someone may later be remembered.
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Five fingers called brothers but unequal pair belonging with difference. The saying gives shared connection and varied form a place in the same image.
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Compassion that ignores consequences can fail to help the people affected. The saying asks for thoughtfulness alongside pity.
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Good companionship is answered with good company. The short exchange values the quality of a shared relationship, without making friendship a payment or assuming that agreement alone makes someone a good companion.
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The saying values forgiveness above revenge as a source of satisfaction. It contrasts two possible responses to a grievance.
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The saying calls friends thieves of time. It presents social attention as taking time that could be spent elsewhere.
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Friendship during prosperity contrasted with friendship in trouble gives the two settings sharply different consequences. The saying associates the latter with a lasting future value.
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The saying makes friendship like money: easier to gain than retain. It gives maintaining a connection a different challenge from beginning one.
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The saying defines friendship as love joined with understanding. It values affection that also makes room for another person’s perspective.
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A measured, considerate approach can produce a better response than unnecessary force. Gentle strokes and harmony picture that relation, without proving that firmness is always wrong or that gentleness guarantees agreement.
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Unrequested advice can be as unwelcome as altering someone’s food without asking. Check whether help is wanted before assuming you know what another person needs.
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Charity never impoverishing anyone gives generosity an emphatic promise that giving does not diminish the giver. The saying praises sharing.
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Giving to people in need is pictured as enriching the giver. That increase may be understood as moral or communal value rather than a promised material return.
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Honest criticism can help you notice faults that praise conceals. A friend’s considered feedback is preferable to learning only from someone hostile, but neither source is automatically accurate.
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The saying expresses trust that divine care makes allowance for vulnerability. The shorn sheep and moderated wind picture compassion toward exposed need.
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Lent gold leaving with laughter and returning in tears contrasts the pleasure of lending with possible difficulty at repayment. It gives money an emotional journey.
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The saying makes good company the shortest cut on a road. It values companionship as a way to make a journey feel less burdensome.
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