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Sometimes we are the student. Sometimes we are the master. And sometimes we are merely the lesson – Jacalyn Smith; Spare the rod and spoil the child; Speak as you find; Speak of the devil and he shall/is sure/will appear; Speak softly and carry a big stick; Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me
Pages for logged out editors learn more. Contributions; Talk; List of English proverbs
Pages in category "English proverbs" The following 31 pages are in this category, out of 31 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. A.
[51] Over 1,400 new English proverbs are said to have been coined and gained currency in the 20th century. [52] This process of creating proverbs is always ongoing, so that possible new proverbs are being created constantly. Those sayings that are adopted and used by an adequate number of people become proverbs in that society. [53] [54]
[1]: 239 Similar proverbs in English include "Still waters run deep" and "Empty vessels make the most sound." [2] There have been like proverbs in other languages, for example the Talmudic [1]: 241 proverb in the Aramaic language, "if a word be worth one shekel, silence is worth two", which was translated into English in the 17th century.
[28] According to Paul Brians, Professor of English at Washington State University, the idiom confuses many people because the verb to have, can refer to possessing, but also to eating, e.g. "Let's have breakfast" or "I'm having a sandwich".
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).
The Durham Proverbs are considered to have been used to document everyday business of the people of Anglo-Saxon England. The proverbs were used in monastic schools to teach text along with other texts such as the Disticha Catonis (also known as the "Dicts of Cato") and a Middle English collection titled the Proverbs of Hendyng.