proverb · Source-linked selection
When the wind's in the south The bait goes in their mouth.
When the wind's in the south The bait goes in their mouth.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying associates a south wind with fish taking bait. Its image presents the hoped-for result as though conditions bring it directly about.
What the words are saying
The bait goes into the mouth, compressing the uncertainty of an outing into a confident sequence. This can reveal how lore attributes success to a favourable sign. The explanation does not establish fish behaviour or promise that the wind supplies a catch. A careful reading keeps the claimed connection visible without turning it into instructions.
Everyday example
A reader identifies the promised success and direction while keeping actual conditions outside the rhyme’s guarantee.
When to use it
Use it to examine a favourable wind sign in fishing lore.
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What it does not mean
This is not verified fishing guidance or a catch guarantee.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1783 · Wind (south)
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English