English proverbs

Caring for children brings responsibilities and worries that a parent can expect. Whether children will also provide reassurance or consolation is less predictable.

The first image is of a young child nursing. In the second, the children are older, and “suck” becomes a harsh image for what they continue to draw from their father.

If the money is forthcoming, the speaker is willing to endure something unpleasant. The rhyme sets a tangible reward against the discomfort that comes with obtaining it.

A chip retains the character of the block it came from. The image presents a smaller piece as recognizably part of something larger.

Christmas is an annual occasion, and the saying treats that rarity as a reason to enjoy its pleasures while they are available.

The proverb predicts that when Christmas arrives without snow, snow will come at Easter instead. Its paired colors turn a contrast between the holidays into a weather forecast.

People can spend so much time discussing an approaching occasion that the occasion arrives while they are still talking about it. The proverb draws attention to the gap between anticipation and experience.

The proverb treats the weekday on which Christmas falls as a sign of the winter’s severity. A Monday Christmas is taken to predict an unusually hard winter.

The proverb imagines good and evil establishing places of worship near one another. It suggests that a community devoted to worthy aims may also face temptation or opposition.

The proverb contrasts outward closeness to religion with inward devotion. A person may spend much time around a church without living according to the faith it represents.

The saying contrasts two names for the same prayer to make a pointed claim about language and religious institutions. Latin is credited with helping churches flourish, while English is blamed for weakening them.

Speaking courteously requires little sacrifice, yet it can make an interaction easier and more pleasant for everyone involved.

A person offers to speak well of someone in return for the same treatment. Praise becomes part of a bargain rather than an independent judgment.

The phrase says the opposite of what it means: something described this way is difficult to understand rather than clear.

The person who holds authority may rely heavily on a subordinate's knowledge and work. The clerk can shape how capable the magistrate appears to be.

The proverb warns that reaching for a lofty position can increase the damage if things go wrong. It urges a person to weigh the risks of advancement against its rewards.

A setback can be a consequence of making an effort. Someone who never undertakes a difficult task may avoid failure, but has not faced the challenge either.

Moving upward too quickly can leave a person vulnerable to a sharp setback. The physical image of an unsafe climb gives the warning its force: eagerness can outpace care.

Make necessary preparations before trouble arrives. A person caught in the rain cannot count on having time to make the cloak that would keep them dry.

Favorable conditions now do not guarantee that they will last. It is wise to keep a useful safeguard available even when there is no immediate sign of trouble.

The proverb imagines a clock keeping time according to a clerk’s wishes rather than running steadily. It suggests that the person responsible for timekeeping has too much say over what others must accept as the time.

The proverb presents silence as a safeguard: someone who does not speak cannot let an unwise remark slip out.

One person goes into the water while another stays on the bank with the swimmer’s clothes. The clothes keeper is involved, but does not swim.

The proverb encourages hope during difficulty: a situation that seems wholly bleak may also contain a benefit or an opening for change.

The sun helps produce clouds, yet those clouds can hide it. The image presents a reversal in which something brought into being obstructs the very thing that enabled it.

The rhyme starts with clouds on the hills and describes them moving down toward the mills. Its two locations make the expected movement the point of the saying.

The shift from cloud cover to clear skies represents a change from difficulty or gloom to relief. The proverb presents a troubling period as something that can pass.

• Compare: Someone going through a hard time needs encouragement that it will not last.

A discouraging beginning can give way to a better ending. The change in the sky stands for a change in circumstances over time.

The person described is enjoying comfortable, favorable circumstances, with enough to live well rather than merely get by.

A need can make the value of something useful plain even to a person others regard as foolish.

A coat can only be made from the cloth at hand. The image urges people to size an undertaking to what they actually have, rather than to what they wish they had.

Fine or eye-catching clothes do not make someone a person of good character. The proverb contrasts outward appearance with the qualities that deserve respect.

People who can mend and patch things possess useful skills that may bring them work when employment is scarce for others. The proverb contrasts practical ability with the vulnerability of having no work to do.

The cobbler’s last is a tool used in making shoes. The image urges a craftsperson to keep judgments within the bounds of the work they know well.

A person skilled at meeting other people’s needs may neglect the same need within their own household. The wife’s poor shoes make that contrast pointed and ironic.

The order in which a rooster and a hen shed their feathers is presented as a clue to the weather ahead: rooster first suggests changeable conditions, while hen first suggests harsh weather.

Familiar surroundings can make someone appear more confident or commanding than they would elsewhere. The rooster’s pride depends on where it stands.

When money is scarce, the everyday fare at the table is likely to be meagre. What can be served depends on what can be paid for.

Wealth can bring anxiety as well as comfort. Having more money may mean more decisions to make, more to safeguard, and more to fear losing.

The proverb presents a cold April as a hopeful sign for farming: an uninviting spring may still lead to a harvest plentiful enough to fill a barn.

The proverb treats cold, windy weather in May as a hopeful sign for the harvest. An uncomfortable spell in spring is expected to be followed by plenty to store away.

An outwardly cold or unyielding person may still be capable of strong feeling. Their manner does not reveal everything they hold within.

The proverb condemns a fight or undertaking whose cause is represented by evil. The devil carrying the colours makes the banner a sign of what the battle serves.

A young horse may move unexpectedly, so a rider should check the saddle before setting out. The advice begins with a practical safeguard against a foreseeable risk.

A pair may enjoy one another’s company most when left alone. Adding a third person can change the encounter so much that it no longer feels companionable.

A person's chosen companions can offer clues to their values, habits, and character. The proverb treats close association as a way to understand someone.

A difficult experience can feel more bearable when another person is there to share it. The trouble may remain, but companionship can ease the sense of isolation.

The proverb suggests that companionship can ease the emotional weight of a difficult situation. A person may still face the same problem, but feel less overwhelmed when they are not alone.

The proverb compares a cheerful companion with a horse: both can help someone along a road, though in different ways.

The proverb treats even a small sum of money as welcome company because it can be put to practical use when a need arises. Its comparison with a companion gives the thought a playful edge.