Proverbs

Understanding 'Little Pitchers Have Big Ears': Origins, Meaning, and Usage
Explore the origins, meaning, and cultural significance of the phrase 'Little Pitchers Have Big Ears,' a metaphor highlighting children's propensity to overhear adult conversations.
Understanding the Phrase 'Live and Learn': Origins, Usage, and Cultural Significance
Explore the origins, semantic nuances, and cultural significance of the phrase 'live and learn.' Delve into its historical roots, contemporary relevance, and usage in literature and social discourse.
Lock the Barn Door After the Horse Has Bolted: Meaning and Origins
Explore the meaning, origins, and cultural significance of the phrase 'lock the barn door after the horse has bolted,' a timeless proverb warning against futile precautions.
Look Before You Leap: Understanding Its Origins and Usage
Explore the origins, meanings, and cultural significance of the phrase 'look before you leap,' tracing its roots from Aesop's fables to contemporary usage.
Understanding 'Make Hay While the Sun Shines': Origins, Meaning, and Usage
Explore the origins, meaning, and cultural significance of the phrase 'make hay while the sun shines.' Delve into its historical context and contemporary relevance.
Exploring the Origins and Meaning of 'Many a Slip 'Twixt the Cup and the Lip'
Delve into the origins, historical context, and cultural significance of the proverb 'many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip,' exploring its meaning and enduring relevance.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention: Origins and Cultural Impact
Explore the origins, historical context, and cultural significance of the phrase 'necessity is the mother of invention.' Delve into its etymology, semantic analysis, and contemporary relevance.
No News is Good News: Etymology, Usage, and Cultural Significance
Explore the origins, semantic nuances, and cultural relevance of the phrase 'no news is good news,' a time-honored proverb suggesting that the absence of information implies a lack of problems.
Understanding 'Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained': Origins and Usage
Explore the origins, historical context, and contemporary relevance of the phrase 'Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained.' Learn about its etymology, semantic nuances, and cultural significance.
Old Saw: Understanding the Origins and Usage of This Classic Phrase
Explore the etymology, semantic nuances, and cultural significance of the phrase 'old saw,' a timeless proverb or maxim, in this comprehensive dictionary entry.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy: Meaning, Origins, and Usage
Explore the meaning, etymology, and cultural significance of the phrase 'once bitten, twice shy,' a proverb emphasizing caution after a negative experience.
Understanding the Proverb: One Swallow Does Not Make a Summer
Explore the meaning, origins, and cultural significance of the proverb 'one swallow does not make a summer,' including its historical context and contemporary relevance.
Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire: Definition, Origins, and Usage
Explore the meaning, origins, and cultural significance of the phrase 'out of the frying pan into the fire,' a classic expression denoting a transition from a bad situation to a worse one.
Out of the Mouths of Babes: Exploring Wisdom from Unexpected Sources
Discover the origins, meanings, and cultural significance of the phrase 'Out of the Mouths of Babes,' a testament to unexpected wisdom from the young and innocent.
Penny Wise and Pound Foolish: Understanding the Cliché
Explore the origins, meanings, and cultural significance of the phrase 'penny wise and pound foolish,' a timeless adage highlighting the folly of focusing on minor savings while neglecting significant expenses.
Understanding 'Pig in a Poke': Origins and Usage
Explore the origins, meaning, and cultural significance of the phrase 'pig in a poke,' a cautionary term for purchasing something without prior inspection.
Practice Makes Perfect: Origins, Meaning, and Cultural Significance
Explore the origins, meaning, and cultural significance of the phrase 'practice makes perfect,' a timeless adage emphasizing the value of repetition and improvement.
Put All One’s Eggs in One Basket: Meaning, Origins, and Usage
Explore the meaning, origins, and cultural significance of the phrase 'put all one’s eggs in one basket.' Understand its historical context and contemporary relevance.
Sauce for the Goose is Sauce for the Gander: Meaning and Usage
Explore the meaning, etymology, and cultural significance of the phrase 'sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,' a proverb advocating for equal treatment and fairness.
Understanding the Cliché: Seeing is Believing
Explore the origins, meaning, and cultural significance of the cliché 'seeing is believing,' a phrase emphasizing the importance of concrete proof.
Seek and Ye Shall Find: Meaning, Origins, and Usage
Explore the meaning, origins, and contemporary relevance of the phrase 'seek and ye shall find,' including its biblical roots and cultural significance.
Silence is Golden: An Exploration of the Timeless Proverb
Discover the origins, meanings, and cultural significance of the phrase 'silence is golden,' a timeless proverb emphasizing the virtue of quietness.
Understanding 'Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child': Origins and Usage
Explore the origins, historical context, and contemporary relevance of the phrase 'spare the rod and spoil the child,' a proverb advocating discipline in upbringing.
Still Waters Run Deep: Understanding the Depths of Silence
Explore the meaning, history, and cultural significance of the phrase 'still waters run deep,' a proverb that highlights the profound nature of quiet individuals.

The Dictionary of Clichés

The largest and most comprehensive resource of its kind, The Dictionary of Clichés features thousands of unique clichés, idioms, jargon, slang, euphemisms, and metaphors, alongside common expressions.

Etymology Clichés Phrases Idioms Semantics English Language Semantic Analysis Linguistics Cultural Usage Cultural Studies Cultural Analysis Historical Context Phrase Origins Cultural Significance Historical Phrases Literature Shakespeare Communication Proverbs Expressions Historical Linguistics Literary Analysis American English Metaphors Phrase Analysis Cultural Expressions Language Biblical References Language Evolution Phraseology Slang Linguistic Analysis English Phrases Biblical Phrases Colloquialisms Social Discourse Social Usage Americanisms Nautical Terms Social Behavior Social Dynamics Cultural Impact Social Interaction American Slang Idiomatic Expressions Literary Usage History Literary References Theater Irony Political Language Popular Culture Similes Social Commentary Colloquialism English Idioms Gender Studies Historical Language Legal Terminology Anger Decision-Making Latin Phrases Literary Phrases Wealth American History British English Colloquial Expressions Cultural Phrases English Literature Influence Philosophy Resilience Semantic Nuance World War II Acronyms Aesop's Fables Cultural Linguistics Economics Film French Phrases Friendship Gender Horse Racing Language History Language Studies Language Usage Media Metaphor Military Military Terminology Political Discourse Politics Relationships American Expressions Authority Baseball Betrayal Card Games Culture Expression Fashion Figurative Language Folklore Humor Innovation Military History Motivation Optimism Problem Solving Semantic Study Social Norms Sports Terminology Americanism Aviation Boxing Contemporary Usage Diplomacy Employment Euphemisms Hyperbole Language Analysis Love Maritime Maritime History Military Phrases Mythology Patience Poker Political Terminology Power Prosperity Proverb Secrecy Semantic Nuances Social Practices Superstition World War I 1960s Advertising Business Business Language Competition Contemporary Language Contemporary Relevance Ethics Farewell Fear Greek Mythology Hamlet Health Individualism Jazz Julius Caesar Laughter Leadership Legal History Literary Expressions Marriage Modern Language Money Music Nostalgia Peace Semantic Exploration Social Customs Social Influence Sports Success Television Transformation Unity Youth Adaptation Aging Agreement Alcohol Alexander Pope American Culture American South American West Arrogance Authenticity Beauty Bisexuality Bliss Bribery British Literature Bureaucracy Card Playing Chess Civil Rights Commitment Confidentiality Conscience Consumer Behavior Corporate Culture Corruption Creativity Cryptography Cultural History Customer Service Deception Education Emotional Expressions Emotions Encouragement English Environmental Impact Espionage Excellence Fables Fairness Family Family Dynamics Financial Loss Financial Metaphors Financial Phrases Flattery Flower Power Forgiveness French Influence Gender Roles Gestures Ground Zero High Society Hippie Movement Historical Usage Honesty Hope Human Nature Impossibility Improvisation Independence Intoxication Journalism Justice Legal Terms Lexicography Longfellow Materialism Misquotation Naval History Naval Terminology Naval Warfare Networking Obligation Occam's Razor Outsourcing Parenting Perception Perseverance Personification Phrase Phrase Meaning Phrase Usage Poetry Political History Political Phrases Precision Public Opinion Ralph Waldo Emerson Realism Reciprocity Redundancy Relaxation Reliability Rhetorical Questions Risk Robert Burns Sacrifice Sarcasm Silence Simplicity Sleep Social Class Social Context Social Etiquette Social History Social Linguistics Social Standing Society Speed Storytelling Symbolism Tender Loving Care Tennessee Williams Theodore Roosevelt TLC Transparency Travel Urgency Usage Verbal Blunders Vietnam War Vigilance Western Films Wisdom 1920s 1980s A Streetcar Named Desire A-1 Abstinence AC/DC Academic Discourse Achievement Achilles' Heel Addiction Adversity Advocacy Affluence African Proverbs African-American English Age Age Disparity Age-Disparate Relationships Age-Related Phrases Alcohol Consumption Aldous Huxley Alertness Alexander the Great Alfred Adler Alpha and Omega American Civil War American Colloquialisms American Dream American Football American Idioms American Phrases American Theater Andrew Hamilton Anger Management Animal Behavior Animosity Antiwar Philosophy Anxiety Apologies Applause Archaic Expressions Archery Archetypes Aristocracy Army Brat Art ASAP Australian Outback Automobile Terminology Auxiliary Verbs Average Person Baby Boomer Baby Boomers Background Music Ballpark Figure Baptism of Fire Basketball Behavior Benchwarmer Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Franklin Beverages Biblical Metaphors Biblical Parables Bill Clinton Black Sheep Bling Blue Blood Blue Ribbon Body Count Boot Camp Bottomless Pit Bounden Duty Boxing Terminology Boy Toy Bread Bread and Circuses Breakup Phrases British Culture British Idioms British Parliament Brown v. Board of Education Brownie Points Buddy Holly Budgeting Burnout Business Ethics Business Jargon Business Meetings Business Practices Business Strategy Business Terminology Bête Noire Calculated Risk Campaigning Carbon Copy Carbon Footprint Cardinal Sin Career Carpe Diem Carte Blanche Casualties Catch-22 Caution Character Assassination Chaucer Cheshire Cat Children's Awareness Chill Out Chinese Wall Christmas Circular Reasoning Clean Slate Cliché Cliff-Hanger Clip Joint Coals of Fire Coexistence Cold Call Cold Shoulder Cold Weather Expressions Collaboration Colloquial Language Commercial Mantras Common Phrases Common Sense Comparative Phrases Compassion Competitive Terminology Confession Conflict Conflict of Interest Conformity Confrontational Language Connectivity Contractions Control Conventional Wisdom Conversation Cooperation Coordination Counterculture Courage Covert Actions Credibility Gap Cricket Crime Fiction Criminal Law Criminal Terminology Cry Crystal Ball Culinary Terms Cultural Adaptation Cultural Beliefs Cultural Discourse Cultural References Currency Customary Practices Cutting Edge Dance Darwinism Data Analysis Dead on Arrival Dead Weight Dear John Death Death Wish Debt Declaration of Independence Defiance Desire Diet Dilemmas Disapproval Discipline Disinheritance Diversity Divide and Conquer DOA Don Quixote Doohickey Double-Barreled Dragon Lady Drinking Toasts Dry Run Duality Dutch Courage Dutch Treat Dutch Uncle Duty Dystopia Eagerness Easy Listening Economic Discourse Economic Prudence Economic Stimulus Economic Views Ego Eighth Wonder Elbow Grease Elbow Room Electrical Terminology Elevator Music Elizabethan Era Eloquence Eloquent Silence Embarrassment Embraces Emotional Expression Emotional Response Empathy Employment Agreements Empty Calories Empty Nest Empty Nester End Game Energy Tax Act Entertainment Environmentalism Envy Ephemeral Equality Errol Flynn Essay on Criticism Essential Foods Euphemism Evil Evolution Excuses Exemplars Experience Expertise Extrasensory Perception Failure Fairy Tales False Colors Family Traits Fandom Fantasy Farewell Expressions Farewells Fashionable Society Fat Farm Feminism Femme Fatale Festive Phrases Fever Pitch Film Industry Filthy Lucre Financial Gain Financial Hardship Financial Language Financial Rescue Financial Security Financial Stability Financial Success Financial Support Financial Terminology Financial Terms Fish Story Fitness Flower Children Folk Expressions Food Forbidden Fruit Fortune-Telling Free Lunch Freedom Freedom of the Press French History Frugality Fuel Efficiency Funny Money Future Prediction Gallows Humor Gambling Gender Equality Generational Analysis Generosity Gift of Gab Girl Scouts Glass Ceiling Globalization Golden Parachute Golden Rule Golf Terminology Good Samaritan Google Gordian Knot Governance Government Grammar Grand Tour Grandstand Play Grass Roots Gray Eminence Greasy Spoon Great Wall of China Greed Greek Greek Alphabet Greek Literature Greenhouse Gases Greetings Grim Reaper Group Dynamics Guiding Light Hail Mary Pass Hair Shirt Hans Christian Andersen Happiness Happy Endings Harriet Beecher Stowe Hat Trick Hatchet Man Health and Well-Being Hemingway Hierarchy Higher Education Hindsight Hip-Hop Historical Events Historical Figures Historical Perspective Historical Sayings Hit Parade Hobson’s Choice Hollywood Home Horace Horatio Alger Hospitality Human Behavior Human Interest Hunting Terminology Hymns Hypocrisy Iceberg Ignorance Illegitimacy Illicit Pleasures Imagination Incredulity Inevitable Infatuation Ingratitude Innate Ability Innocence Inspirational Phrases Intermittence Internet Interpersonal Relations Intuition Investment Irish Culture Irish Legend Iron Hand Irreversible Decisions Irrevocable Actions Irving Berlin Ivory Tower J.M. Barrie James Carville James Thurber Jazz Age Jazz Slang Jealousy Jet Set Jewelry Jimmy Durante Job Termination Joe Six-Pack John Doe John Guare John Hancock John Keats John Kenneth Galbraith John Le Carré Joseph Heller Joseph P. Kennedy Judicial Proceedings Just Deserts Kindred Spirit Knowledge Labor Movement Language Etymology Language Study Law Legal Concepts Legal Doctrine Legal Metaphors Legal Phrases Legal Traditions Lewis Carroll LGBTQ+ Liberace Life Style Lifestyle Lincoln Linguistic Evolution Lip Service Listening Literary Criticism Literary Origins Literary Terms Logic Logical Fallacies Longevity Love Conquers All Loyalty Lunatic Fringe Macbeth Magic Bullet Maritime Language Maritime Metaphors Mark Twain Marriage Proposals Marx Brothers Masculinity Mathematics Media Criticism Media Manipulation Medieval Medieval Beliefs Medieval Practices Medieval Virtues Memory Mental Discourse Mental Health Mentorship Meticulousness Midas Touch Midlife Crisis Military Slang Military Training Mindfulness Misfit Misguided Leadership Misinterpretation Mistrust Moderation Modern Expressions Modern Phrases Modesty Montezuma’s Revenge Morale Morality Mortality Motherhood Multigenerational Care Multitalented Murphy's Law Music Charts Musical Chairs Mutual Assistance Muzak Naivety Name Dropping Native American Beliefs Natural Selection Nature Nautical Nautical Metaphors Nautical Phrases Nautical Terminology Naval Slang Navigation Negotiation Never Never Land New Testament NIMBY Nine-Eleven Nobility Nonverbal Communication Nonviolence Norman Vincent Peale Number Cruncher Nursery Rhymes Nutrition Obsequiousness Ockham's Razor Offensive Language Old Guard Old-Boy Network One-Man Band Opportunities Oral Tradition Order of the Garter Organizational Policy Organizational Structure Ostrich Myth Overwork Ownership Papal Authority Paradox Patriotic Expressions Paul Ehrlich PDQ Peace of Mind Peanuts Peeping Tom Penance Penitence Personal Development Persuasion Peter Pan Philadelphia Lawyer Photo Op Phrase Study Pillow Talk Pirates Pitched Battle Placeholder Terms Plain Vanilla Plessy v. Ferguson Poker Face Politeness Political Movements Political News Political Rhetoric Politically Correct Popular Music Popularity Positive Thinking Posture Pot Luck Poverty Power Dynamics Power Lunch Power Transition Preppy Prioritization Privacy Probability Professional Practice Profit Sharing Profitability Promised Land Propaganda Proverbial Expressions Psychological Phenomena Psychological Warfare Psychology Public Attention Publicity Publishing Punctuality Puppetry Purple Prose Pyrrhic Victory Quack Medicine Quality Ratings Quantum Leap Radio History Radio Programs Rags to Riches Rarity Rat Race Red Barber Red-Carpet Treatment Rejection Religious Expressions Religious Phrases Religious Texts Repentance Responsibility Restaurant Slang Retail Retail History Retaliation Retirement Retribution Revenge Rhetoric Richard Nixon Ripley's Believe It or Not Road Rage Robert Louis Stevenson Rock Music Role Model Role Reversal Roman History Romantic Archetypes Romantic Expressions Romantic Freedom Royalty Rube Goldberg Rural Rural Expressions Russian Roulette Sacred Cow Sad Sack Safe Haven Safety Sales Samuel Taylor Coleridge Sandwich Generation Say Uncle Science Fiction Search Engine Second Wind Security Seinfeld Seize the Day Self-Assurance Self-Confidence Self-Expression Self-Importance Self-Made Man Self-Promotion Self-Reliance Sentimentality Separation Seven Deadly Sins Shock Show Business Shyness Sight Unseen Signature Sinking Feeling Sixth Sense Skepticism Skid Row Sleaze Factor Slice of Life Slippery Slope Smart Set Smoking Snake Oil Snow Job Sob Story Soccer Mom Social Barriers Social Conformity Social Darwinism Social Elite Social Groups Social Hierarchy Social Mobility Social Movements Social Networks Social Relations Social Science Social Status Social Structures Social Trends Socio-Economic Disparity Sociolinguistics Sound Bite Space Exploration Speech Fluency Spin Control Spin Doctor Sportscasting Star Chamber Status Symbol Steadfastness Sterling Qualities Sticking Point Stoicism Strategy Street Smarts Strength Stumbling Block Subjectivity Suburban Life Success Stories Succession Sunday Best Superstitions Surprise Surrender Survival Skills Suspense Sustainability Swan Song Sympathy Synonyms Syntax Talent Tardiness Team Spirit Technology Telemarketing Theatre Thingamabob Thomas Carlyle Thomas Gray Thomas Hobbes Thoreau Thorstein Veblen Time Time Flies Time Warp Tolerance Top Forty Track Record Traffic Psychology Traffic Signals Train of Thought Transience Treason Trends