A proverb has to be pithy and also common in use. However we can certainly say that these distinctions in the definition are largely ignored in practical usage. Along with these three …

Technically, it means "as heard in a proverb ". Sometimes this meaning is stretched a bit to mean something like "this kind of thing happens all the time". But generally, if you see something like …

Sep 30, 2011 · A proverb may or may not be idiomatic, but it expresses succinctly some form of philosophy, folk wisdom or advice. 'Hindsight is always 20:20' is neither an idiom nor a …

Mar 22, 2011 · An aphorism is a synonym for a proverb, that's also short and to the point. Usually, it's supposed to impart some important moral lesson. Here's a well-known example: A bird in …

May 24, 2011 · In this phrase, a mickle is a small amount of something (the Scots usage is intended in this proverb) and a muckle is a large amount, so the saying means that you can …

May 3, 2017 · The OED’s definition of a proverb is ‘a short, traditional, and pithy saying; a concise sentence, typically metaphorical or alliterative in form, stating a general truth or piece of …

Nov 26, 2023 · The proverb "ignorance is bliss" is used to express that somebody feels better by not knowing all the details about a topic. In an existing thread titled "ignorance is not bliss", it is …

Wiktionary confirms this in its etymology for the proverb: A figura etymologica – time and tide respectively derive from the Germanic *tīma- and *tīði-, which are ultimately related. A figura …

Apr 25, 2023 · 6 "A closed mouth catches no flies" is a proverb, and the origins of proverbs are almost always strange and murky; I'm not really expecting a definitive answer here. Wiktionary …

Sep 8, 2011 · from The Phrase Finder: So, there is a little more to the phrase 'let bygones be bygones' than to the more literal 'let sleeping dogs lie' or the old proverb 'let all things past, …