Justice.

Meaning: The saying minimises punishment with birch twigs by claiming that it does not break ribs. The narrow comparison leaves other pain and harm outside its account.

Meaning: One person may do the work while someone else takes the reward. Notice who prepares an opportunity and who receives the benefit or credit.

Meaning: The saying demands that a person use an ability they possess. Its command to force the unwilling raises a question about responsibility and consent.

Meaning: Even those who seem small or unimportant still have needs. Do not overlook someone’s basic requirements because they have little status or visibility.

Meaning: An outward difference need not make one thing less good than another. The contrasting plums encourage judging what matters beyond appearance, without claiming that all differences are irrelevant or that their qualities must be identical.

Meaning: The comparison questions an account offered without the experience or evidence needed for its subject. Its disability-based insult should be distinguished from that useful question.

Meaning: The saying depicts a benefit being used to weaken someone’s resistance to mistreatment. It describes a manipulative tactic; accepting help does not make harm acceptable or remove a person’s right to object.

Meaning: Being bound suggests an obligation that limits what a person may choose. The saying stresses the force of commitments, but its demand for obedience must be qualified by the actual terms, fairness and circumstances rather than treated as a universal command.

Meaning: This saying presents boys’ behaviour as predictable because they are boys. It can affectionately describe ordinary play, but it also risks excusing misconduct and treating gender as destiny; responsibility and care remain necessary regardless of who acts.

Meaning: An improper incentive can gain access to a decision that ought to depend on fair reasons. The image warns about influence slipping past normal scrutiny, rather than claiming every gift is corrupt or every decision-maker can be bought.

Meaning: If a criticism or description accurately applies to you, acknowledge it and consider your response. The fitting cap invites self-recognition, but resemblance alone does not make every accusation fair or correct.

Meaning: Being able to arrange the conditions of a contest is different from being able to take part skilfully. Packing the cards points to manipulating the setup, which should not be mistaken for ability demonstrated in fair play.

Meaning: A person of modest status can still take notice of someone powerful. Rank should not be used to deny ordinary attention or dignity to those below it.

Meaning: A modest option may become acceptable when someone has a pressing need. The cat accepting a crust suggests circumstances shaping a choice, without proving someone’s desperation or making minimal provision all they deserve.

Meaning: The saying evokes a scramble in which people take whatever they can secure. Its repeated catch gives the contest a hurried, opportunistic character.

Meaning: A position may be weak if nobody is willing to defend it openly. The saying values accountable argument, but silence may also reflect fear or unequal power rather than the merits of a case.

Meaning: The saying claims that correcting one person improves many others. It treats a response to a single action as an example that a wider group may notice.

Meaning: A household may need to address problems rather than avoid every difficult conversation. The saying’s praise of chiding needs limits on how disagreement is expressed.

Meaning: A child may appear to own something while an adult ultimately controls its use or benefit. The pig-and-bacon contrast exposes the difference between a nominal gift and practical ownership.

Meaning: The saying demands that children observe quietly without speaking. It expresses an adult preference for obedience, but a modern reading should question that demand: children need opportunities to ask, contribute and report concerns, rather than have silence treated as a virtue.

Meaning: The mutual scratching image presents an exchange of favours: help me and I will help you. It may describe ordinary cooperation or self-serving reciprocity, depending on the situation, so the fairness of the exchange must be examined rather than assumed.

Meaning: An official’s work can depend heavily on the person who prepares and manages its records. The saying draws attention to expertise behind visible authority.

Meaning: A person responsible for operating a system can influence how it behaves. The clock and clerk draw attention to the discretion behind an apparently fixed arrangement, without proving that every operator is acting unfairly.

Meaning: An impressive appearance does not establish good character or considerate conduct. The bright coat questions an outward sign of status, without making plain clothing a guarantee of virtue or judging people by a different appearance.