Irish Proverbs

 

Å      What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

 

Å      The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune.

 

Å      It’s no use boiling your cabbage twice.

 

Å      There’s no need to fear the wind if your haystacks are tied down.

 

Å      Do not mistake a goat’s beard for a fine stallion’s tail.

 

Å      Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you fight with your neighbour. It makes you shoot at your landlord – and it makes you miss him.

 

Å      If you lie down with dogs you’ll rise with fleas.

 

Å      There never was an old slipper but there was an old stocking to match it.

 

Å      Firelight will not let you read fine stories but it’s warm & you won’t see the dust on the floor.

 

Å      As the old cock crows the young cock learns.

 

Å      Humour, to a man, is like a feather pillow. It is filled with what is easy to get but gives great comfort.

 

Å      The best way to keep loyalty in a man’s heart is to keep money in his purse.

 

Å      A narrow neck keeps the bottle from being emptied in one swig.

 

Å      A trout in the pot is better than a salmon in the sea.

 

Å      It’s for her own good that the cat purrs.

 

Å      Even a tin knocker will shine on a dirty door.

 

Å      An old broom knows the dirty corners best.

 

Å      One beetle recognizes another.

 

Å      When the sky falls we’ll all catch larks.

 

Å      It’s no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking.

 

Å      It’s difficult to choose between two blind goats.

 

Å      A silent mouth is sweet to hear.

 

Å      A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse.

 

Å      There’ll be white blackbirds before an unwilling woman ties the knot.

 

Å      In winter the milk goes to the cow’s horns.

 

Å      You must crack the nuts before you can eat the kernel.

 

Å      Every patient is a doctor after his cure.

 

Å      Neither give cherries to pigs nor advice to a fool.

 

Å      Soft words butter no parsnips but they won’t harden the heart of the cabbage either.

 

Å      You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind.

 

Å      There are finer fish in the sea than have ever been caught.

 

Å      A windy day is not the day for thatching.

 

Å      The old pipe gives the sweetest smoke.

 

Å      Marriages are all happy. It’s having breakfast together that causes all the trouble.

 

Å      A scholar’s ink lasts longer than a martyr’s blood.

 

Å      Take gifts with a sigh; most men give to be paid.

 

Å      A turkey never voted for an early Christmas.

 

Å      The Irish forgive their great men when they are safely buried.

 

Å      The longest road out is the shortest road home.