proverb · Traditional
Drop a penny leave it lay.
The instruction asks that a dropped penny be left lying. It tells someone not to retrieve an object, while leaving the reason unstated.
Read the explanation and example ↗Words worth understanding
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.
4,000 entries with editorial explanations. The wider collection also contains entries still awaiting an individual interpretation.
739 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
Drunken folk often speak truth.
The saying suggests people sometimes speak truth while drunk. Often leaves room for variation, but the claim does not make intoxication a test of honesty.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Dumb dogs are dangerous.
The saying calls quiet dogs dangerous, using a silence-related reading of dumb. As an analogy, it treats little outward warning as a reason for caution.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Eat a bit before you drink.
The saying recommends eating a small amount before drinking. Its brief instruction gives an order of activities without explaining the reason or identifying the drink.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Empty pots make the most noise.
Empty pots making the most noise contrasts loud display with a lack of substance. The saying asks whether confident sound is supported by content.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Empty vessels make the greatest sound.
A person who speaks loudly or confidently may have little substance behind the noise. Judge what is said by its evidence and usefulness rather than its volume.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Empty vessels make the most noise.
The saying gives empty vessels the most noise. As a human analogy, it questions whether conspicuous talk has much substance behind it.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Empty vessels make the most sound.
The saying gives empty vessels the most sound. As a human analogy, it questions the substance behind conspicuous talk.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Even a white lily casts a dark shadow.
A white lily casting a dark shadow places a contrasting effect beside an admired appearance. The saying asks what a favourable image may leave out.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Even black hens lay white eggs.
Black hens laying white eggs contrasts an exterior with a result that does not match it. The saying questions a conclusion drawn solely from appearance.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Even champions make mistakes - there is no one who doesn’t.
Champions also making mistakes denies that achievement makes a person infallible. It normalises the possibility of error even in skilled performance.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
The saying distinguishes appearing wise in silence from actually being wise. It imagines quietness concealing a person’s lack of understanding.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Even if a fool is alongside a wise man all his life, he does not recognize the truth like a spoon does not know the taste of soup.
A spoon touching soup without tasting it compares proximity to wisdom with actually understanding it. The saying distinguishes being near knowledge from learning through engagement.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Even over cold pudding, the coward says: “It will burn my mouth.”
Fear of burning from cold pudding caricatures a concern that appears mismatched to the stated condition. The saying uses an insult to criticise apprehension.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every light is not the sun.
A useful signal or source of guidance is not necessarily the strongest or most comprehensive one. The proverb distinguishes a light from the sun, without dismissing small contributions or making prominence proof of reliability.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every man is a pilot in a calm sea.
A task can look easy while conditions are favourable. The calm-sea image reminds readers that apparent competence in a simple setting may not show readiness for difficulty, without declaring everyone unskilled or demanding that ability be proved through hardship.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every man is best known to himself.
A person has direct access to experiences and intentions that others may not see. That perspective deserves attention, while self-knowledge can still be incomplete and benefit from honest reflection or feedback.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every man is either a fool or a physician after thirty years of age.
The saying divides people after thirty into fools or physicians. It exaggerates an expectation that age should bring knowledge of oneself.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every man to his trade.
A task benefits from attention to the skills it requires. The saying favours relevant expertise but should not prevent someone learning beyond their present occupation.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Everyone has a fool in his sleeve.
The saying gives everyone a fool hidden in their sleeve. It imagines foolishness as a possibility carried even by people who seem capable.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Everything unknown passes for miraculous.
Unknown things passing for miraculous contrasts a gap in understanding with an extraordinary explanation. The saying questions wonder treated as proof.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Examine what is said, not him who speaks.
The instruction puts examination of a statement before judgment of its speaker. It asks for attention to the content of an argument.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Experience is an unusual teacher; it is giving you the test first and the lesson, latter.
Experience teaching after the test reverses the order of a lesson and examination. It pictures understanding gained after facing an actual situation.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Experience is the father of wisdom.
The saying calls experience the father of wisdom. It imagines encounters and practice as giving rise to sound judgment.
Read the explanation and example ↗