Proverbs and their meanings.

Meaning: Something already pleasing need not be improved by decoration. The face and paint picture an existing quality that extra embellishment may not help.

Meaning: An attractive appearance does not establish good intentions or conduct. Judge the relevant behaviour rather than assuming that someone is trustworthy because they look appealing.

Meaning: Attractive presentation can make something look more appealing. The fine feathers explain the favourable impression, while leaving open whether what is being presented also has the qualities someone needs.

Meaning: A relationship may need trust and dependable conduct to support that trust. The saying connects affection with steadiness, without demanding unquestioning belief, fixed roles or staying in a harmful relationship.

Meaning: A setback can happen more quickly than the work needed to reach or regain a position. The saying draws attention to that difference in effort, without making every mistake permanent or claiming that recovery is impossible.

Meaning: Someone who loses standing may face further unkind treatment while they are vulnerable. The image warns about people adding to another’s difficulty, rather than predicting everyone’s behaviour or implying that the person who fell deserves what follows.

Meaning: When someone or something loses its position, others may rush to take advantage. The fallen tree and ready hatchets picture opportunism, rather than establishing that every response to a failure is selfish.

Meaning: Preventing a foreseeable difficulty can be preferable to repairing its effects afterwards. The falling-and-helping image values timely support, while it should not make prevention a reason to withhold help when a problem has already occurred.

Meaning: A false report can travel quickly as people repeat it. Speed or widespread repetition does not establish accuracy, so check the basis of a claim before passing it on.

Meaning: The saying makes scarcity in an animal stall precede scarcity in the household hall. It pictures difficulty moving from provision for livestock to provision for people.

Meaning: The saying contrasts water-covered ground with snow-covered ground, assigning scarcity to the first and bread to the second. It gives two winter conditions opposite values.

Meaning: The saying places the beginning of famine in England at the horse’s feeding place. It gives a broad shortage a particular imagined starting point.

Meaning: A strong preference can make something seem better than it is. Imagining bran as flour pictures wishful judgement, without proving that every hope or favourable opinion is mistaken.

Meaning: Going farther or seeking another option does not guarantee a better result. The saying cautions against equating change with improvement, without requiring someone to remain with an unsuitable arrangement.

Meaning: The saying exaggerates how exclusion can feel when someone is out of fashion. It reveals the pressure of belonging to a social trend, rather than establishing that conformity is necessary for a worthwhile life or that older tastes have no value.

Meaning: Attention and assistance may flow towards those already well provided for while someone in greater need is neglected. The cooking image criticises that imbalance, without proving that every visible advantage is undeserved or that need can be judged from appearance alone.

Meaning: People may blame the age or circumstances around them to avoid examining their own mistakes. Consider what was within your control as well as external influences.

Meaning: Denying a known mistake can add dishonesty to the original fault. Trying to avoid responsibility may deepen the harm and make repair more difficult.

Meaning: Criticism becomes more useful when it helps correct the problem. If you point out a fault, consider whether you can contribute a remedy rather than stopping at blame.

Meaning: A person’s faults are not reliably visible in their face or first appearance. Judgement needs relevant behaviour and evidence rather than guesses based on looks.

Meaning: Everyone can have weaknesses or make mistakes. Remembering ordinary imperfection can encourage humility about yourself and proportionate expectations of other people.

Meaning: 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.

Meaning: Someone who knows they are at fault may become watchful or defensive. The proverb describes one possible reaction, but guarded behaviour alone cannot establish wrongdoing or reveal why a person is uncomfortable.

Meaning: One ingredient or contribution may not be enough to make a complete undertaking. The feast of mushrooms pictures a limited provision, without dismissing that ingredient’s value or setting a rule about what people should eat.