18 Who has God for his friend has all the saints in his pocket ITALY
19 A shroud has no pockets SCOTLAND
20 Those who have an egg in their pocket do not dance GABON
21 Everyone buckles their belt their own way SCOTLAND
22 All the keys in the land do not hang from one girdle SCOTLAND
23 The wife of the amber-turner wears pearls of glass IRAN
102 FOOTWEAR
1 The boot must put up with the dirt GERMANY
2 The cobbler always wears the worst shoes FRANCE
3 Let the cobbler stick to his last ENGLAND
4 When walking through your neighbour’s melon-patch, don’t tie your shoe CHINA
5 A handsome shoe often pinches the feet FRANCE
6 Those who wait for a dead person’s shoes are in danger of going barefoot FRANCE
7 Walk as your shoes will let you SCOTLAND
8 Better a crease in the shoe than a blister on the toe ESTONIA
9 One cannot shoe a running horse NETHERLANDS
10 You can get used to anything except a rock in your shoe USA
11 If the shoe fits, wear it ENGLAND
12 Those who go barefoot aren’t pinched by their shoes GERMANY
13 Even a young foot finds ease in an old slipper SCOTLAND
103 HEADWEAR
1 Why should someone without a head want a hat? CHILE
2 A head without a brain has no need of a hat SPAIN
3 A hat is not made for one shower ENGLAND
4 A man’s hat in his hand never did him any harm SCOTLAND
5 The circumstances of people will appear from the condition of their hat SRI LANKA
6 If the cap fits, wear it ENGLAND
104 WEAVING
1 The loom that’s awry is best handled patiently SCOTLAND
2 Everyone must spin on their own spinning wheel ESTONIA
3 A cloth is not woven from a single thread CHINA
4 Don’t stand by the water and long for fish; go home and weave a net CHINA
5 The spider does not weave its web for one fly SLOVENIA
6 Law is a spider’s web; big flies break through but the little ones are caught HUNGARY
7 If it weren’t for the wind the spiders would web the sky SERBIA
8 Stretch your legs according to the length of your bedspread LIBYA
9 Send your charity abroad wrapped in blankets ENGLAND
10 If you pick the fluff from a blanket it comes to pieces INDIA
11 A blanket becomes heavier as it becomes wetter INDIA
12 That which is said at table should be wrapped up in the tablecloth ITALY
105 BETWEEN
1 Between two points one cannot draw more than one straight line DENMARK
2 ‘Virtue in the middle,’ said the devil as he sat between two lawyers NORWAY
3 There must be a valley between two hills GERMANY
4 It is hard to swim between two stretches of bad water NETHERLANDS
5 There’s many a slip between cup and lip ENGLAND
106 WALLS
1 Better a neighbour over the wall than a brother over the sea ALBANIA
2 Courteous asking breaks even city walls UKRAINE
3 One family builds the wall; two families enjoy it CHINA
4 Walls hear without warnings ENGLAND
5 Silent worms bore holes in the wall JAPAN
6 A dog in desperation will leap over a wall CHINA
7 Someone who stands behind a wall can see nothing else JAPAN
8 Do not tear down the east wall to repair the west CHINA
9 To get out a rusty nail you must take away a piece of the wall MALTA
107 EDGES
1 Rein in the horse at the edge of the cliff CHINA
2 The grub eats round the edges of the leaves NEW ZEALAND
3 It is easy to hurt yourself on a stone that has sharp corners KOREA
4 A bird with a beautiful plumage doesn’t sit in the corner CAMEROON10 LOCAL WORDSProverbs are not known for their lexical inventiveness. They use everyday words and display very few unusual word coinages. If we encounter unfamiliar vocabulary, it is usually because the words are archaic, are from a local dialect, or relate to a culture that has disappeared.Those who will have a cake out of the wheat must tarry the grinding. (tarry = wait for)A burnt bairn dreads the fire. (Scotland and Northern England)A quick sixpence is better than a slow shilling. (old money system)Different international dialects of English sometimes make their presence felt. The distinctive identity of American English can be heard in these examples from the present collection:No matter how you slice it, it’s still baloney.Never look an auto bargain under the hood.Puttin’ feathers on a buzzard won’t make it no eagle.Don’t shuck your corn till the hogs come home.Don’t holler before you’re hurt.Every train has a caboose.SEE ALSO Nonstandard language
5 The dogs will go into the corner that’s open SCOTLAND
6 All countries are frontiers SOUTH AFRICA
7 One cannot ski so softly that the traces cannot be seen FINLAND
8 The laden almond-tree by the wayside is sure to be bitter JAPAN
108 ENCLOSURES
1 Silence is a fence round wisdom GERMANY
2 There is no fence that does not let the wind through CHINA
3 Do not protect yourself by a fence, but by your friends CZECH REPUBLIC
4 Everyone pushes a falling fence CHINA
5 The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence ENGLAND
6 If you want to catch a wild horse, find a tight corral HAITI
7 Everyone leaps the dyke where it’s lowest SCOTLAND
8 A fly before one’s own eye is bigger than an elephant in the next field CHINA
9 The sun shines on both sides of the hedge ENGLAND
10 Those who plant a hedge round their garden invite it to be jumped RUSSIA
11 Love your neighbour, yet pull not down your hedge ENGLAND
12 There is no limit to looking upward JAPAN
109 IN FRONT – BEHIND
1 To know the road ahead, ask those coming back CHINA
2 The world is dark an inch ahead JAPAN
3 Let everyone sweep before their own door GERMANY
4 There’s a puddle at every door, and before some doors there are two SCOTLAND
5 Don’t put the cart before the horse ENGLAND
6 Those who haven’t seen a church bow before a fireplace POLAND
7 Advice should be viewed from