Proverbs: everyday wisdom

Vocabulary in this set

Use ten common proverbs to talk about relationships, patience, health, home, and everyday experience.

1. great minds think alike

   Expression

   Used to emphasize a coincidence, or two people reaching the same conclusion in any manner at the same time.

   Person A: He looks a bit like David Beckham...

2. once bitten, twice shy

   Expression

   One is cautious if one has been hurt in the past.

3. blood is thicker than water

   Expression

   Family relations and loyalties are stronger than relationships with people who are not family members.

   The old clans are scattered now, but blood is thicker than water still, and you're welcome to the fireside of your kinsman!

4. absence makes the heart grow fonder

   Expression

   When someone or something is far away, one realizes how much one loves or misses them or it.

5. curiosity killed the cat

   Expression

   One should not be curious about things that can be dangerous.

6. an apple a day keeps the doctor away

   Expression

   Apples are healthy and stave off illnesses.

   Now, an apple is one of the most wonderful of fruits, and the most wholesome. The old adage went, An apple a day keeps the doctor away, and my young son, three years ago, when he was only three years old, came to me with an amendment to that and said: Father, two apples a day keeps the dentist away, because there is not a better toothbrush than the apple, and he got the idea that two apples a day would keep the dentist away.

7. birds of a feather flock together

   Expression

   People of similar character, background, racial group or taste tend to congregate or associate with one another; it is easier to establish friendships with people that one has a lot in common with.

8. good things come to those who wait

   Expression

   A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time.

9. time flies when you're having fun

   Expression

   Time seems to pass more quickly when one is enjoying oneself.

   Time flies when you're having fun! said one of the skiers in our party. Yeah, but time's more fun when you're flying, Jay one-upped.

10. there's no place like home

    Expression

    One feels most comfortable at home.