OriginIt is a Latin proverb traditionally attributed to Terence (c. 190-159 B.C.). The first recorded use of this ancient proverb was in the play Phormio (161 B.C.), written by Publius terentius afer, the Roman playwright known as Terence for short. It’s a common translation of the Latin phrase “fortisfortunaadiuvat,” which is spoken by a character […]
Origin“William Caxton, the first English printer, gave the earliest version of this saying in ‘Aesope’ (1484).ExplanationIt is said when you are frightened to do something again because you had an unpleasant experience doing it the first time. It means that someone who has been hurt or who has had something go wrong will be far
OriginThis is a very ancient proverb originating from south-west part of the Asian continent. It is first found in Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621-1651).ExplanationIt implies that even when the outcome of an event seems certain, things can still go wrong. It means that there is many a time-gap between the occurrence of two
OriginIt is a late 18th-century proverb. This phrase comes from William Cowper’s poem, “The Task” (1785).ExplanationThe proverb tells that a variety of things and ideas in the life of man brings him fun and joy. As the spices of life like joy and fun make him enthusiastic and enjoyable, similarly different flavours of spices add
OriginThis is a 15th-century proverb.ExplanationUsually, what it is fearful for us is to experience something for the first time. Therefore, since we equipped the courage to take the initial step of it, what only left is the half. The effort to maintain the courage till the end comes from our scared mind and preconception that
OriginIt is found in print in the play Christmas Prince, which was first performed at Cambridge, around 1608.ExplanationIt is said to emphasize that the person who has control of a situation in the end is most successful, even if other people had seemed originally to have an advantage. You may laugh now, thinking you have
OriginThe earliest known origin of the sentiment “all is fair in love in war” is found in poet John Lyly’s novel “Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit,” published in 1579.ExplanationAll’s fair in love and war means there is no act that is too terrible or too great when you are going after the person you love
OriginThis term was already in John Heywood’s 1546 proverb collection, was used figuratively by Shakespeare, and exists in many other languages as well.ExplanationSomeone who is new in a particular job will do a very good job at first, to prove how competent he or she is.People newly appointed to the positions of responsibility tend to
OriginThis is a 15th-century proverb.ExplanationHuman beings can make any plans they want, but it’s God that decides their success or failure.People can make plans; God determines how things will turn out. People may make plans, but they cannot control the outcome of their plans. This proverb tells that whatever man proposes as his objective to
OriginThis proverb originated in 1575.ExplanationWhen too many people work together on a project, the result is inferior. Too many persons involved in managing an activity can ruin it. In a kitchen, if there are many cooks cooking the same soup and each one adds something he thinks is needed, the resulting soup will taste terrible.
OriginThis idea was expressed in classical Greek books as early as the third century BC.ExplanationIt is sometimes said when someone has died young. Virtuous or gifted people die at an early age, because the gods want those people to be with them in the afterlife.This springs from a belief in an after-life that is better
OriginThis proverb was first recorded in 1855.ExplanationThe human mind can never be inactive. When a man is idle, he is not engaged in any useful activity. His mind is then open to the influence of evil thoughts. The devil enters his mind and fills his mind with evil ideas. Thus his mind becomes the devil’s
OriginIt is a mid 14th-century proverb.ExplanationA person who does not settle in one place will not accumulate wealth or status or responsibilities or commitments. It is used to imply that someone who does not settle down will not prosper, or form lasting ties. People move many times, and don’t stay in one place for too
OriginThe first attributed use in modern times is to Founding Father John Dickinson in his pre-Revolutionary War song “The Liberty Song”, first published in the Boston Gazette in July 1768.ExplanationThe people who join together as a group are much harder to defeat than they would be separately. It is a phrase used in many different
OriginThis expression could be found in writing in a book called Banking Under Difficulties in 1888.ExplanationIt means there’s no use in worrying over past events which cannot be changed. It is said to emphasize that it is not useful feeling sorry about something that has already happened. There is no point in regretting something that