Gluttony kills more than the sword
More people die from overeating than are slain in battle. this is a very old proverb, dating back to the times when gluttony was more common than it is today, and it was no rare thing for people to... Read more →
Proverbs starting with letter G
Give us the tools, and we will finish the job
Winston Churchill said this to the Americans in a broadcast address on February 9th, 1941. The tools were the means by which we could carry on and win World War II.
Give the devil his due
Even the very bad sometimes do a good deed, so we should recognize the good points of others, even though they are not friends of ours.
Give knave an inch and they will take a yard
If you grant some people a small favour, it only encourages them to take much more than they are offered. 'I told old Joe to help himself to some strawberries, and when I went out into the garden... Read more →
Give credit where credit is due
Here 'credit' means 'acknowledgement of merit' and nothing to do with money. The proverb means that we should acknowledge the good points of even those we dislike or disapprove of. 'Mark you, I... Read more →
Give and take
Be as ready to give as to take; to help others as you are to be helped; to make concessions as to accept them; to listen to other people's views as to give them yours. Life is a tow-way process.... Read more →
Give a thief enough rope and he’ll hang himself
If you give a bad person enough opportunity he will bring about his own downfall. There is a play on words in the proverb, for 'rope' has tow meanings: (a) a length of stout cordage as used for... Read more →
Give a lie twenty-four hours’ start, and you can never overtake it
If a lie is not refuted immediately, it will pass from mouth to mouth until it is accepted as truth by everyone.
Give a dog a bad name and hang him
The phrase 'a bad name' means 'a bad reputation'. However untrue the charges may be, they may ruin a man's reputation and so 'hang him' - that is, end all chance of his ever re-establish himself as... Read more →
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may
Take advantage of your opportunities before it is too late, for Life is short and time is swift. The proverb comes from Robert Herrick's poem To the Virgins, to make Much of Time. Here are the first... Read more →