English proverbs and sayings and their origins

Every language in the world has proverbs and sayings that reflect the mentality, culture and history of its speakers. This is also true for the English language. The origin of English proverbs is determined by the historical dynamics of language development, national peculiarities of British culture, as well as contacts with other cultures. Native English proverbs originate in folklore, the Bible, English literature. Borrowings have come from other languages, such as Latin and French. In this article we will look at interesting proverbs and sayings on various topics and how they appeared in the English language.

English proverbs about money

• “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”
  This expression originated in Britain in the 1940s and means that low pay will result in poor quality work. You cannot attract a professional employee if you are going to pay them the minimum wage.

• “Money is a good servant, but a bad master”
  If you have money, it can serve you well. But if you owe money to other people, you are in a dependent position because the debt keeps you in control. The author of this phrase was the English statesman Francis Bacon, who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries.

• “Money has no smell”
  The saying appeared in this form in the early 20th century, but its original history dates back to the first millennium AD, when the Roman Emperor Vespasian imposed a tax on public toilets to replenish the treasury.

• “Money talks”
  This expression dates to the 17th century. It is usually used when referring to people and organisations with a lot of money. It means that the more money you have, the more opportunities you have to achieve a goal.

• “Easy come, easy go”
  “Easy to get, easy to live”. The meaning of this folk saying is that easily earned or given money is easily spent on useless things, or even lost, for example, in gambling.

English proverbs about food

• “Eyes are bigger than your belly”
  This expression is used both literally, when a person puts more food on his plate than he is able to eat, and figuratively, when referring to a person who tries to do something that for various reasons is beyond his strength.

• “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”
  In this saying, the apple is a symbol of good nutrition that helps a person stay healthy. The expression in a slightly different form “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread” was first recorded in the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire in 1866.

• “You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs”
  It is impossible to do something good or realise a goal without facing problems or having to sacrifice something.

• “You can’t have your cake and eat it”
  It is impossible to satisfy two opposing desires. The originator of this expression is Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, who used it in a letter to Thomas Cromwell in 1538.

• “The forbidden fruit is always the sweetest”
  This famous English expression was inspired by the Biblical story of the fruit that Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden, even though God forbade it. It means that the things that are forbidden become the most desirable and attractive to a person.

English proverbs about friendship

• “A friend in need is a friend indeed”
  The idea that a true friend will prove himself in the most difficult times, while false friends will disappear, dates back to 400 BC, when the ancient Greek playwright Euripides made it part of the plot of one of his plays. It came into the English language in the 1400s.

• “If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”
  This expression is used when one person offers to do some good for another and in return receive something useful or beneficial for himself.

• “Birds of a feather flock together”
  People with similar character and interests are attracted to each other, they are often seen together.

• “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”
  It is important to know your loved ones well, but it is even more important to know your enemies well. Then you will be able to predict any intrigues against you. This expression comes from The Art of War by the Chinese writer Sun Tzu, who lived in the 4th and 5th centuries BC.

English proverbs about work

• “Nothing got without pains but an ill name and long nails”
  This Scottish proverb originated from the people and implies that any meaningful things and achievements are earned through hard work.

• “A cat in gloves catches no mice”
  This proverb came into English from French, where it was first used in the 14th century. The meaning is that sometimes it takes determination and even aggressive action to achieve something.
• “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today”
  The author of this famous phrase is the prominent politician Benjamin Franklin. He urges to use the time we have effectively, because it is the most precious resource.

English proverbs about the weather

• “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight”
  The expression originated from attempts to predict the next day’s weather based on the setting colour of the sky so that shepherds could prepare for the coming working day. But the British Meteorological Service says the weather doesn’t actually depend on the colour of the sky.

• “Rain before seven, fine by eleven”
  This saying is used both literally and figuratively. A lot of Brits believe that 4 hours is enough time for a rain front to be replaced by clear skies. Practice shows that it is. In the figurative sense, this phrase is used when talking about a person who changes his mind easily.

• “Any port in a storm”
  This saying means that in a difficult situation, any solution will do, even if it is not perfect. The origin of the phrase dates back to navigation. If a ship was caught in a storm that was potentially dangerous for the ship and crew, the decision was made to make a stop at the nearest port, even if it was not originally planned to enter it.

• “Small rain lays great dust”
  This saying means that even small efforts can change everything, and small actions lead to big results.

English proverbs about sport

• “A lost ball in the high weeds”
  The exact origin of this saying is unknown. It is believed to have been influenced by golf. A bad shot makes it almost impossible to find the ball in the thick grass. This phrase is used when talking about a person who has no idea what he or she is doing or does not know what to do in a certain situation.

• “Football is a game of two halves”
  This proverb associated with England’s favourite sporting game implies that things can change at any moment. You should not think that the outcome is a foregone conclusion. In football, one goal in the last minute can change the outcome of a match.

• “Run with the hare and hunt with the hounds”
  Trying to make one’s life easier by supporting two opposing ideas, parties, groups, ideologies.

English proverbs about health

• “Health is better than wealth”
  This expression comes from the Roman poet Virgil, who said that the best wealth is health. It is much more important than any material wealth.

• “The best doctors are Dr Diet, Dr Quiet and Dr Merryman”
  The meaning of this proverb is that good nutrition, rest and sleep, and a positive outlook on life give a person good health. This expression was written by Jonathan Swift, an English writer living in the 17th and 18th centuries, who used it in his work “Polite Conversation”.

• “Laughter is the best medicine”
  This expression is first found in the Bible. It reads, “A cheerful heart is good as medicine, but a discouraged spirit dries the bones.

English proverbs about happiness

• “Every cloud has a silver lining”
  You can find something positive in any situation, even the most difficult. John Milton, the English poet and playwright, is credited as the author of this expression. It first appeared in his play Comus, written in 1634.

• “The grass is always greener on the other side”
  It is said of a person who thinks that other people are better off than he or she is. It was coined by the Roman poet Ovid, who wrote in his poem The Art of Love: “The harvest is always richer in another man’s field. It was translated into English by the English writer and religious reformer Richard Taverner in 1545.

• “Better a small fish than an empty dish”
  It is better to have something than nothing at all, and to be grateful for everything, even the smallest things.

• “On cloud nine”
  This expression means the highest degree of happiness, pleasure, joy. It is believed to have come from the “International Cloud Atlas” published in 1896 by scientists from the World Meteorological Association. According to the classification of the atlas, there are 10 types of clouds, and type number 9 is cumulonimbus clouds, which can rise to 10 kilometers in height. These are the highest clouds in existence.

English proverbs about time

• “Better late than never”
  This famous expression comes from classical literature, and its author is considered to be the medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who used it in his Canterbury Tales. As long as one is alive, it is never too late to do anything.

• “A stitch in time saves nine”
  It is better to take a small step towards solving the problem at once, so that you don’t have to solve it later when it becomes bigger and more serious.

• “The early bird catches the worm”
  If you start a project before others, the potential results will be much better. To act quickly is to have an advantage. The origin of this proverb in English dates back to 1605.

• “Rome wasn’t built in a day”
  This expression first appeared in 1538 in a work by the English writer John Heywood. It is used in different instances. For example, one of the meanings is “it takes a long time to create something grand”. But it is also used to justify the slow progress of events.

Conclusion

There are many proverbs in the English language in which certain things, objects or concepts are used literally or as metaphors. Proverbs and sayings enrich the language and make speech more vivid, as well as help us understand the mentality of another nation. If you want to sound like a native English speaker, be sure to learn some of the proverbs in this article.