An Alphabet of Proverbs for Teachers and Students

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'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"...  This statement really doesn't make a great deal of sense to anyone until you give it some serious thought and discussion.  But could you imagine how boring English would be without elements such as proverbs and idioms?

Proverbs and idioms can encourage students to think deeply for meaning when often they simply read because they have to.  They also offer other teaching and learning opportunities such as.

  • Create modern day definitions and examples for these ancient proverbs.
  • Say more with less.  Could a proverb be simplified to make it more effective or does it need further explanation?
  • Visually represent a proverb in a poster for different audience.
  • Retrace the origin and intent for a proverb and see where it fits as a part of oral language and storytelling.

Below is an alphabet of proverbs and idioms.  You might wish to use these with your students to gain a better understanding of the English language and the aspects that keep it interesting.

A    

 

  • After the feast comes the reckoning.
  • All that glitters is not gold.
  • An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
  • The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
  • Actions speak louder than words.
  • Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

B    

  • Bad news travels fast.
  • Barking dogs seldom bite.
  • Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
  • Beggars can't be choosers.
  • The best things in life are free.
  • Better a live coward than a dead hero.
  • Better late than never.
  • Better safe than sorry.
  • The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
  • A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
  • Birds of a feather flock together.
  • Blood is thicker than water.

C    

  • Charity begins at home.
  • Clothes do not make the man.
  • Curiosity killed the cat.

D    

  • Do as I say, not as I do.
  • Don't bite off more than you can chew.
  • Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
  • Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
  • Don't cry over spilled milk.
  • Don't judge a book by its cover.
  • Don't judge a man until you've walked in his boots.
  • Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
  • Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
  • Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today.
  • Don't put the cart before the horse.

F    

  • Familiarity breeds contempt.
  • The first step is always the hardest.
  • A fool and his money are soon parted.
  • Forewarned is forearmed.
  • A friend in need is a friend indeed.
  • A friend who shares is a friend who cares.

G    

  • Good things come in small packages.
  • The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

H    

  • Haste makes waste.
  • He who hesitates is lost.
  • He who laughs last, laughs best.
  • Hindsight is better than foresight.

I    

  • If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
  • If you can't beat them, join them.
  • If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
  • Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
  • In unity there is strength.
  • It never rains but it pours.
  • It takes two to tango.

L    

  • Leave well enough alone.
  • A leopard cannot change its spots.
  • Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
  • Look before you leap.
  • Love is blind.
  • Love makes the world go round.

M    

  • Make hay while the sun shines.
  • Man does not live by bread alone.
  • A man is known by the company he keeps.
  • Might makes right.
  • Misery loves company.
  • A miss is as good as a mile.
  • Money does not grow on trees.

N    

  • Necessity is the mother of invention.
  • No news is good news.
  • No pain, no gain.
  • Nothing hurts like the truth.
  • Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

O    

  • Old habits die hard.
  • One good turn deserves another.
  • One man's gravy is another man's poison.
  • One swallow does not a summer make.

P    

  • The pen is mightier than the sword.
  • Possession is nine-tenths of the law.
  • Practice makes perfect.
  • The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

R    

  • The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
  • Rome wasn't built in a day.

S    

  • The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
  • The squeaking wheel gets the oil.
  • Strike while the iron is hot.
  • T    
  • There is no honor among thieves.
  • There's more than one way to skin a cat.
  • There's no fool like an old fool.
  • There's no place like home.
  • Too many chiefs, not enough Indians.
  • Too many cooks spoil the broth.
  • Two heads are better than one.
  • Two's company, but three's a crowd.

V    

  • Variety is the spice of life.

W    

  • The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
  • When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
  • When the cat's away, the mice play.
  • Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Y    

  • You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
  • You can't have your cake and eat it too.
  • You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
  • You have to take the good with the bad.
  • You reap what you sow.
  • You're never too old to learn.