OriginThis expression was familiar enough to be included in John Heywood’s 1546 collection of proverbs.ExplanationIf someone gives you something you asked for, you should not complain about what you get. This phrase is most often used when someone asks for assistance. It means that, while asking for help, the requester can’t be picky about what […]
OriginThe phrase was actually used as early as 1538 in a letter from Thomas Howard, the third Duke of Norfolk, to Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry VIII.ExplanationOnce the cake is eaten, it is gone. It can be used to say that one cannot or should not have or want more than one deserves
OriginIt is a late 16th-century proverb; handsome here originally referred to chivalrous or genteel behaviour, although it often popularly refer to good looks.ExplanationHow one acts is more important than how one looks. It is more important to treat people well than to be good-looking; just because you are good-looking does not mean you are a
OriginThe origin of the idiom ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ was first seen in print in 1777, in Interesting Letters of Pope Clement XIV.ExplanationIt means that it is polite and respectful to adapt your way of behaving when you are in a different culture or society. This means to cover your body
OriginIt has been around in the English language since the mid-1500s.ExplanationThe phrase ‘birds of a feather flock together’ is an expression, which generally means: people with similar tastes and interests stick together or form groups. The phrase often stands on its own, is used as a response to something someone has said to you, or
OriginWilliam Camden stated it in 1605 in Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine.ExplanationIt is said to mean that you can only judge the quality of something after you have tried, used or experienced it. A dish may have been made from a good recipe with fresh ingredients and look delicious, but you can really
OriginThis is a late 19th-century proverb.ExplanationIf you are paying for someone’s services, you can dictate exactly what you want that person to do. The person who provides the money for something has the right to determine how it’s spent. The person who pays a musician can decide what music he wants to hear. And the
OriginThe line, fools rush in where angels fear to tread, was first written by Alexander Pope in his poem An Essay on Criticism (1709).ExplanationFoolish people usually do not understand when a situation is dangerous, so they are not afraid to do things that would frighten more sensible people. Ignorant or inexperienced individuals get involved in
OriginThis phrase was a French proverb in the late 1100s but was not recorded in English until 1545.ExplanationThe ancient Roman Empire is considered a very beautiful and great symbol of the past. The city of Rome was its capital. Rome is renowned for its architectural beauty. It has many beautiful buildings, parks, gardens and fountains.
OriginThis proverb first appeared in 1678.ExplanationThis means that a friend who helps you when you really need help is a true friend. A friend who helps out when we are in trouble is a true friend — unlike others who disappear when trouble arises. The proverb stands as a touchstone of true friendship. It states
OriginIt was first recorded in 1732.ExplanationWe use this proverb to say that it is better to spend a little time to deal with problems or act right now than wait. If you wait until late, things will get worse, and it will take much longer to deal with them. It is said to mean that
OriginThis was first recorded in 1546.ExplanationIt is something that you say which means that a person’s character, especially if it is bad, will not change, even if he pretends it has. It means that no matter how hard someone may try to change his true nature, he’ll never succeed in changing who he is naturally.
OriginIt is a 15th-century proverb.ExplanationVessels which are empty make a loud sound when struck with something. But filled vessels make less sound. This is true in case of people as well. Some people are very talkative and go on speaking continuously. But others may be serious and talk less. Those people who go on talking
OriginThis statement is found in the drama ‘Julius Caesar’. When Julius Caesar was about to go to the Senate, his wife told him hot to go out of the house on that day as she had seen some bad omens. But Caesar told his wife that cowards die many times before their deaths and that
OriginThis proverb comes from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, in 1602.ExplanationThis phrase has multiplicity of meanings. In one sense, it means that a good piece of writing, or a good speech should be brief and concise. However, in another sense, it implies that a funny speech should be short; otherwise, it tends to lose
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