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Browsing Category
Proverbs
‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ – Origin, Meaning and Expansion
Origin of this proverb
This proverb, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ is attributed to Margaret Hungerford who was an Irish novelist. Hungerford lived between 1855 and 1897, and she tended to write using a pen name: ‘The Duchess’.…
‘A rolling stone gathers no moss’ – Origin, Meaning, Expansion, Importance
Origin
This proverb is attributed to Pubilius Syrus (85-43 BCE). Syrus was a Syrian born author (hence the surname ‘Syrus’ which means ‘Syrian’), however he lived later in Rome. He wrote down the proverb ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’…
‘Time flies’ – Origin, Meaning, Expansion, and Importance
Origin of the proverb.
‘Time flies’ originates in a Latin proverb: ‘tempus fugit’. This Latin phrase (which means, literally ‘time flees’) derives from the poetic works of an ancient Roman author called Virgil.
Virgil’s most famous work…
‘Manners Maketh Man’ – Origin, Meaning, Expansion, Importance
Origin of the proverb.
The origin of the proverb ‘manners maketh man’ is often said to be in the writings of a man called William Horman, who lived between 1440 and 1535. Horman was the headmaster at Eton School in England and he also…
‘Love is blind’ – Origin, Meaning, and Significance of the Proverb
Origin of the proverb.
The proverb ‘love is blind’ was first found in written form in the medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer’s work ‘The Canterbury Tales’, which was composed in the late 14th century. In one of the Tales, known as ‘The…
‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ – Origin, Meaning, Expansion, and Significance
Origin of the phrase.
The proverb ‘all’s well that ends well’ is perhaps most famous for being the title of a play by the English playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
In the above mentioned play (which was probably written 1604-5),…
‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ – Origin, Meaning, Expansion and Significance
Origin of the phrase.
This phrase derives from a medieval Latin phrase which is attributed to St Ambrose. The original Latin is, ‘si fueris Romae, Romano vivito more’ which means, ‘if you are in Rome, then live in the Roman manner’.
St…
‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’ – Origin, Meaning, Expansion, and Significance.
Origin
This proverb most likely dates back to at least the late medieval period. In 1575, it was cited by the writer George Gascoigne, who noted that ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ was a common proverb.
Since, Gascoigne stated that this…
‘Marriages are Made in Heaven’ – Origin, Meaning, Explanation, Importance
Origin of this proverb
This English proverb probably derives from a French proverb from the early sixteenth century. This proverb states ‘les mariages se font au ciel’: ‘marriages are made in heaven’.
Meaning and explanation
This…
‘It’s never too late’ – Origin, Meaning, Expansion, Importance
Origin of the phrase.
The earliest written form of the proverb, ‘it’s never too late’, is often attested to be in the works of the novelist George Eliot in the late nineteenth century.
However, it is likely that by the time Eliot wrote…