List of proverbial phrases

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Below is an alphabetical list of widely used and repeated proverbial phrases. If known, their origins are noted.

Contents

A proverbial phrase or expression is a type of conventional saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. [1] [2]

In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial phrase as:

A proverb [or proverbial phrase] is usually defined, an instructive sentence, or common and pithy saying, in which more is generally designed than expressed, famous for its peculiarity or elegance, and therefore adopted by the learned as well as the vulgar, by which it is distinguished from counterfeits which want such authority

John Ray, A Compleat Collection of English Proverbs, 1798 [3]

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I

J

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N

O

P

R

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T

U

V

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Y

Z

Notes

  1. "Meanings and Origins of Phrases, Sayings and Idioms". Gary Martin. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
  2. Benham, W. Gurney (1926). Putnam's Complete Book of Quotations, Proverbs, and Household Words. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

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References

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  14. 1 Timothy 6:10
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