The Proverbs of Scotland Part 107

Worth may be blamed, but ne'er be shamed.

Wrang count is nae payment.

Wrang has nae warrant.

Wyte your teeth if your tail be sma'.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Ye breed o' auld maids, ye look high.

Ye breed o' gude maut, ye're lang o' comin'.

Ye breed o' Lady Mary, when you're gude ye're ower gude.

"A drunken man begg'd Lady Mary to help him on his horse, and having made many attempts to no purpose, he always reiterated the same pet.i.tion; at length he jumped quite over. 'O, Lady Mary,' said he, 'when thou art good, thou art ower good.'"--_Kelly._

Ye breed o' our laird; ye'll no do right, and ye'll tak nae wrang.

Ye breed o' Saughton swine, ye're neb's never oot o' an ill turn.

Ye breed o' the baxters, ye loe your neighbour's browst better than your ain batch.

Ye breed o' the chapman, ye're aye to handsel.

"Spoken to those who ask us hansel (that is, the first bit in the morning, the first money for their parcels of wares, or the like).

Taken from pedlars who, coming into a house, will say, 'Give us hansel.'"--_Kelly._

Ye breed o' the chapman, ye're never oot o' your gate.

Spoken to those who do business wherever they go.

Ye breed o' the craw's tail, ye grow backwards.

Ye breed o' the gowk, ye hae ne'er a rhyme but ane.

Or you are always talking on one subject.

Ye breed o' the gudeman's mither, ye're aye in the gate.

Ye breed o' the herd's wife, ye busk at e'en.

Ye breed o' the miller's dochter, that speir'd what tree groats grew on.

"Spoken when saucy fellows, bred of mean parentage, pretend ignorance of what they were bred with."--_Kelly._

Ye breed o' the tod's bairns, if ane be gude, they're a' gude.

Ye breed o' the tod, ye grow grey before ye grow gude.

Ye breed o' the witches, ye can do nae gude to yoursel.

Ye breed o' water-kail and c.o.c.k-lairds, ye need muckle service.

Used by servants whose employers are troublesome.

Ye ca' hardest at the nail that drives fastest.

Meaning that a person pretends to work much harder than is really required.

Ye cangle about uncoft kids.

Literally, quarrel about unbought goods.

Ye canna do but ye ower-do.

Ye canna fare weel but ye cry roast-meat.

"Bolt thy fine meal, and eat good paste without report or trumpet blast. They that are thirsty drink silently."--_French._

Ye canna gather berries aff a whinbush.

Ye canna get leave to thrive for thrang.

Literally, you are so busy that you have no time to get rich.

Ye canna mak a silk purse out o' a sow's lug.

Ye canna preach oot o' your ain pu'pit.

Applied to persons who are diffident in the house of a stranger, or who are backward in describing an article out of their usual way of business.

Ye canna put an auld head upon young shouthers.

Ye canna see the wood for trees.

On a par with the man who went to London, but could not see the town for houses!

Ye come o' the house o' Harletillem.

"To 'harle,' to draw to one's-self by gripping or violent means."--_Jamieson._

Ye come o' the M'Taks, but no o' the M'Gies.

That is, you take all you can get, but take care to give nothing.