User:Sobreira/Books/English Idioms and other figures of speech 1

Aph, Cph, Pvb, SPh (as of 20190228)

 * Aphorisms
 * a chain is only as strong as its weakest link
 * all cats are gray at night
 * all cats are gray in the dark
 * all cats are grey at night
 * all cats are grey by night
 * all cats are grey in the dark
 * any press is good press
 * better late than never
 * clothes don't make the man
 * heaven helps those who help themselves
 * hindsight is 20/20
 * if it ain't broke, don't fix it
 * ignorance is bliss
 * leave well enough alone
 * live life to the fullest
 * never change a running system
 * size matters
 * something is rotten in the state of Denmark
 * twenty-twenty hindsight


 * Catch phrases
 * accidentally on purpose
 * act one's age
 * age before beauty
 * all your base are belong to us
 * different strokes
 * get off of someone's cloud
 * I see, said the blind man
 * take the flak


 * Proverbs
 * Appendix:English proverbs
 * a bad penny always comes back
 * a bad penny always turns up
 * a bad tree does not yield good apples
 * a bad workman always blames his tools
 * a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
 * a buck is a buck
 * a buck is a buck is a buck
 * a buck's a buck
 * a buck's a buck's a buck
 * a burnt child dreads the fire
 * a camel is a horse designed by a committee
 * a camel is a horse made by a committee
 * a cat can look at a king
 * a cat in gloves catches no mice
 * a cat may look at a king
 * a change is as good as a rest
 * a closed mouth catches no flies
 * a closed mouth gathers no feet
 * a contented mind is a perpetual feast
 * a creaking door hangs long on its hinges
 * a creaking door hangs longest
 * a danger foreseen is half avoided
 * a drowning man will clutch at a straw
 * a dumb priest never got a parish
 * a fault confessed is half redressed
 * a fool and his money are soon parted
 * a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds
 * a friend in need is a friend indeed
 * a golden key can open any door
 * a good beginning makes a good ending
 * a good deed is its own reward
 * a hit dog will holler
 * a house divided against itself cannot stand
 * a house is not a home
 * a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
 * a leopard cannot change its spots
 * a lie has no legs
 * a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
 * a man is known by the company he keeps
 * a man's home is his castle
 * a mind is a terrible thing to waste
 * a miss is as good as a mile
 * a new broom sweeps clean
 * a new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows the corners
 * a nod is as good as a wink
 * a penny saved is a penny earned
 * a penny saved is a penny gained
 * a picture is worth a thousand words
 * a picture paints a thousand words
 * a poison tree bears poison fruit
 * a problem shared is a problem halved
 * a promise is a promise
 * a promise made is a promise kept
 * a quick drop and a sudden stop
 * a revolution is not a dinner party
 * a rising tide lifts all boats
 * a rolling stone gathers no moss
 * a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor
 * a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
 * a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down
 * a stick in a bundle cannot be broken
 * a stick in a bundle can't be broken
 * a stick in a bundle is unbreakable
 * a stitch in time saves nine
 * a stopped clock is right twice a day
 * a twig in a bundle cannot be broken
 * a twig in a bundle can't be broken
 * a twig in a bundle is unbreakable
 * a watched kettle never boils
 * a watched pot never boils
 * a wild goose never laid a tame egg
 * absence makes the heart grow fonder
 * accidents will happen
 * accidents will happen in the best regulated families
 * actions speak louder than words
 * all good things come to an end
 * all or none
 * all politics are local
 * all politics is local
 * all roads lead to Mecca
 * all roads lead to Rome
 * all that glisters is not gold
 * all that glitters is not gold
 * all the world's a stage
 * all things come to those who wait
 * all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
 * all's fair in love and war
 * all's well that ends well
 * almost doesn't count
 * an apple a day keeps the doctor away
 * an army marches on its stomach
 * an Englishman's home is his castle
 * an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind
 * an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure
 * an ounce of prevention is better than an ounce of cure
 * an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
 * Annuit cœptis
 * another day, another dollar
 * any port in a storm
 * appearances are deceptive
 * April showers bring May flowers
 * art is long, life is short
 * as a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly
 * as one door closes, another opens
 * as you make your bed, so you must lie in it
 * as you sow, so shall you reap
 * attack is the best form of defence
 * bad money drives out good
 * bad news travels fast
 * bad things come in threes
 * barking dogs never bite
 * barking dogs seldom bite
 * beauty is in the eye of the beholder
 * beauty is only skin deep
 * beggars can't be choosers
 * better an egg today than a hen tomorrow
 * better dead than red
 * better dead than Red
 * better Dead than Red
 * better safe than sorry
 * better the devil you know
 * better the devil you know than the devil you don't
 * better the devil you know than the devil you don't know
 * better the devil you know than the one you don't
 * better the devil you know than the one you don't know
 * better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
 * better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness
 * better to light one candle than to curse the darkness
 * beware of Greeks bearing gifts
 * bi now, gay later
 * big things come in small packages
 * bird in the hand
 * birds of a feather flock together
 * birds of the feather flock together
 * blood is thicker than water
 * boys will be boys
 * brevity is the soul of wit
 * bros before hoes
 * bros before hos
 * business before pleasure
 * buy cheap, buy twice
 * buy low, sell high
 * buy when it snows and sell when it goes
 * buy when it snows, sell when it goes
 * Caesar's wife must be above suspicion
 * cannot live with them, cannot live without them
 * can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em
 * can't live with them and can't live without them
 * can't live with them, can't live without them
 * care killed the cat
 * carpe diem
 * carpe diem cras
 * caveat lector
 * charity begins at home
 * cheaters never prosper
 * cheats never prosper
 * chicks before dicks
 * children should be seen and not heard
 * Christmas comes but once a year
 * claret would be port if it could
 * claw me, claw thee
 * clogs to clogs in three generations
 * close only counts in horseshoes
 * close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades
 * cold hands, warm heart
 * cool heads must prevail
 * cool heads prevail
 * cool heads will prevail
 * cooler heads must prevail
 * cooler heads prevail
 * cooler heads will prevail
 * crime doesn't pay
 * cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye
 * curiosity killed the cat
 * curses, like chickens, come home to roost
 * dance with the one that brought ya
 * dance with the one that brought you
 * dance with the one that brung ya
 * dance with the one that brung you
 * dance with the one what brought ya
 * dance with the one what brought you
 * dance with the one what brung ya
 * dance with the one what brung you
 * dance with the one who brought ya
 * dance with the one who brought you
 * dance with the one who brung ya
 * dance with the one who brung you
 * dead men can tell no tales
 * dead men tell no tales
 * desperate times call for desperate measures
 * desperate times require desperate measures
 * devil is in the details
 * devil lies in the details
 * diamonds are a girl's best friend
 * different strokes for different folks
 * discretion is the better part of valor
 * discretion is the better part of valour
 * do as I say, not as I do
 * do unto others as you would have them do unto you
 * doctors make the worst patients
 * does Macy's tell Gimbel's
 * don't change a winning team
 * don't count your chickens before the eggs have hatched
 * don't count your chickens before they're hatched
 * don't cry over spilled milk
 * don't dip your pen in company ink
 * don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly
 * don't drop the soap
 * don't get your meat where you get your bread
 * don't hate the player, hate the game
 * don't judge a book by its cover
 * don't keep a dog and bark yourself
 * don't look a gift horse in the mouth
 * don't put all your eggs in one basket
 * don't shit in your own nest
 * don't shit where you eat
 * don't shoot the messenger
 * don't sweat the small stuff
 * don't take any wooden nickels
 * don't try to teach grandma how to suck eggs
 * e pluribus unum
 * each to his own
 * early bird catches the worm
 * early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
 * easy come, easy go
 * eat to live, not live to eat
 * eat, drink and be merry
 * eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die
 * eaten bread is soon forgotten
 * empty vessels make the most sound
 * enough is as good as a feast
 * even a blind pig can find an acorn
 * even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while
 * even Homer nods
 * even Jove nods
 * every cloud has a silver lining
 * every dark cloud has a silver lining
 * every day is a school day
 * every dog has his day
 * every dog has its day
 * every dog must have his day
 * every dog must have its day
 * every Jack has his Jill
 * every king needs a queen
 * every law has its loophole
 * every little bit helps
 * every little helps
 * every man has a price
 * every man is the architect of his own fortune
 * every rose has a thorn
 * every rose has its thorn
 * every rule has an exception
 * every shut eye isn't asleep
 * every silver lining has a cloud
 * experience is the best teacher
 * eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
 * fair exchange is no robbery
 * faith will move mountains
 * familiarity breeds contempt
 * feed a cold, starve a fever
 * finders, keepers
 * finders, keepers; losers, weepers
 * fine feathers make fine birds
 * fine words butter no parsnips
 * first catch your hare
 * first come, first served
 * fish and company stink after three days
 * fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me
 * fools rush in where angels fear to tread
 * forbidden fruit is the sweetest
 * forewarned is forearmed
 * forewarned, forearmed
 * fortune favors the bold
 * fortune favors the brave
 * fortune favours the bold
 * fortune favours the brave
 * garbage in, garbage out
 * genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration
 * give a man a fish
 * give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
 * give him enough rope and he'll hang himself
 * give someone an inch and they'll take a mile
 * give them an inch and they'll take a mile
 * give them an inch and they'll take an ell
 * given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow
 * go hard or go home
 * God helps them that help themselves
 * God helps them who help themselves
 * God helps those who help themselves
 * God is in the detail
 * God works in mysterious ways
 * good fences make good neighbors
 * good fences make good neighbours
 * good things come to those who wait
 * good wine needs no bush
 * grasp all, lose all
 * great haste makes great waste
 * great minds
 * great minds think alike
 * great oaks from little acorns grow
 * half a loaf is better than no bread
 * half a loaf is better than no loaf
 * half a loaf is better than none
 * handsome is as handsome does
 * handsome is that handsome does
 * haste makes waste
 * haters gonna hate
 * he that mischief hatches, mischief catches
 * he who can, does, he who cannot, teaches
 * he who digs a pit for others, falls in himself
 * he who laughs last laughs best
 * he who laughs last laughs hardest
 * he who pays the piper calls the tune
 * he who smelt it dealt it
 * he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon
 * heaven helps those that help themselves
 * hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
 * here today, gone tomorrow
 * hic Rhodus, hic salta
 * history repeats itself
 * home is where the heart is
 * home is where you hang your hat
 * honesty is the best policy
 * honey catches more flies than vinegar
 * hope springs eternal
 * hope springs eternal in the human breast
 * hunger is a good sauce
 * hunger is the best sauce
 * hunger is the best spice
 * hunt where the ducks are
 * hydrate or diedrate
 * IAR
 * idle hands are the devil's playthings
 * idle hands are the Devil's playthings
 * idle hands are the devil's tools
 * idle hands are the Devil's tools
 * idle hands are the devil's workshop
 * idle hands are the Devil's workshop
 * if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail
 * if at first you don't succeed
 * if at first you don't succeed, try try again
 * if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck
 * if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle
 * if my grandmother had balls, she'd be my granddad
 * if my sister had balls, she'd be my brother
 * if my uncle had tits, he'd be my aunt
 * if pigs had wings they would fly
 * if the mountain won't come to Muhammad
 * if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain
 * if there's grass on the field, play ball
 * if there's grass on the pitch, play ball
 * if we had ham we could have ham and eggs, if we had eggs
 * if we had some ham we could have some ham and eggs, if we had some eggs
 * if wishes were horses, beggars would ride
 * if you can't beat them, join them
 * if you can't do the time, don't do the crime
 * if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
 * if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging
 * if you fly with the crows, you get shot with the crows
 * if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas
 * if you lie with dogs you will get fleas
 * if you mess with the bull, you get the horns
 * if you pay bananas, you get monkeys
 * if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
 * if you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything
 * if you want a thing done well, do it yourself
 * ignore all rules
 * ill news spreads apace
 * in for a dime, in for a dollar
 * in for a penny, in for a pound
 * in for an inch, in for a mile
 * in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
 * in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
 * in the valley of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
 * in unity, there is strength
 * in vino veritas
 * in wine, there is truth
 * it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings
 * it ain't over till the fat lady sings
 * it ain't the meat, it's the motion
 * it ain't the whistle that pulls the train
 * it is a wise child that knows his own father
 * it is all fun and games until someone loses an eye
 * it is always darkest before the dawn
 * it is always darkest just before the dawn
 * it is darkest before the dawn
 * it is darkest just before the dawn
 * it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God
 * it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog
 * it is not the whistle that pulls the train
 * it is what it is
 * it isn't the whistle that pulls the train
 * it never rains but it pours
 * it never rains but that it pours
 * it pays to advertise
 * it takes a heap o' livin' to make a house a home
 * it takes a heap of living to make a house a home
 * it takes a lot of living to make a house a home
 * it takes all kinds
 * it takes all kinds to make a world
 * it takes all sorts
 * it takes all sorts to make a world
 * it takes one to know one
 * it takes two to make a quarrel
 * it takes two to quarrel
 * it takes two to tango
 * it took Nixon to go to China
 * it's a long road that has no turning
 * it's an ill bird that fouls its own nest
 * it's an ill wind
 * it's an ill wind that blows no good
 * it's an ill wind that blows no one any good
 * it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
 * it's better to ask forgiveness than permission
 * it's never too late to mend
 * it's not the meat, it's the motion
 * it's not the whistle that pulls the train
 * it's not what you know but who you know
 * it's the hit dog that howls
 * it's the thought that counts
 * judge not, that ye be not judged
 * judge not, that you be not judged
 * justice delayed is justice denied
 * justice is blind
 * keep your friends close, and your enemies closer
 * kids will be kids
 * know thyself
 * knowing is half the battle
 * knowledge is power
 * ladies first
 * laughter is the best medicine
 * least said, soonest mended
 * leave with the one that brought ya
 * leave with the one that brung ya
 * leave with the one that brung you
 * leave with the one what brought ya
 * leave with the one what brought you
 * leave with the one what brung ya
 * leave with the one what brung you
 * leave with the one who brought ya
 * leave with the one who brought you
 * leave with the one who brung ya
 * leave with the one who brung you
 * leaves of three, let it be
 * less is more
 * let a thousand flowers bloom
 * lex dubia non obligat
 * life is like a box of chocolates
 * life is not all beer and skittles
 * life is short
 * life's a bitch and then you die
 * lightning never strikes twice in the same place
 * like father like son
 * like father, like son
 * like mother, like daughter
 * little pitchers have big ears
 * little pitchers have long ears
 * little strokes fell great oaks
 * live and let live
 * live by the sword, die by the sword


 * Set phrases
 * all in all
 * all of a sudden
 * all of the sudden
 * one day
 * sooner or later