The Proverbs of Scotland Part 92

The foremost hound grips the hare.

The fu'er my house, the toomer my purse.

The goat gies a gude milking, but she ca's ower the cog wi' her feet.

Spoken of useful people who are, however, as troublesome as they are useful.

The grace o' a grey bannock is in the bakin' o't.

The grace o' G.o.d is gear enough.

The grandsire buys, the faither bigs, the son sells, and the grandson thigs.

Alluding to the uncertainty of earthly things; meaning, literally, that the grandsire buys estates on which the father builds, the son sells the property, and forces the grandson again in turn to beg.

The gravest fish is an oyster; the gravest bird's an ool; the gravest beast's an a.s.s; an' the gravest man's a fool.

The greatest burdens are no the maist gainfu'.

The greatest clerk's no aye the wisest man.

The greedy man and the cook are sure friends.

The greedy man and the gileynour are weel met.

The gude dog doesna aye get the best bane.

The gude man's mither is aye in the gait.

"The husband's mother is the wife's devil."--_Dutch._

The gude man's no aye the best man.

The gude or ill hap o' a gude or ill life, is the gude or ill choice o'

a gude or ill wife.

"He who has a good wife can bear any evil; he who has a bad wife can expect no happiness that can be so called."--_Spanish._

The happy man canna be herried.

The haughty hawk winna stoop to carrion.

The height o' nonsense is supping soor milk wi' an els.h.i.+n.

This is equalled by a saying of another country, which has "keeping the sea back with a pitchfork" as its type of nonsense.

The hen's egg gaes to the ha' to bring the goose's egg awa.

"Spoken when poor people give small gifts to be doubly repaid."--_Kelly._

The higher climb the greater fa'.

The higher the hill the laigher the gra.s.s.

The higher the tree the sweeter the plooms; the richer the souter the blacker his thooms.

The king lies doun, yet the warld rins round.

Applied to persons who have an exaggerated idea of their own importance.

The king may come in the cadger's gait.

This proverb, which is exclusively Scottish, means that a person who has been slighted, or whose services have been despised, may have an opportunity of retaliating at a future time.

The king may come to Kelly yet, and when he comes he'll ride.

"It signifies that the time may come that I may get my revenge upon such people, and then I will do it to purpose."--_Kelly._

The kirk's aye greedy.

The kirk's muckle, but ye may say ma.s.s i' the end o't.

"Spoken when people say something is too much, intimating that they need take no more than they have need for."--_Kelly._

The laird may be laird, and still need the hind's help.

The laird's brither's an ill tenant.

The langer we live we see the mair ferlies.

The langest day has an end.

The la.s.s that has ower mony wooers aft wales the warst.

The la.s.s that lightlies may lament.

To "lightlie" is to despise or treat with contempt.

The lazy lad maks a stark auld man.

The lean dog is a' fleas.

The leeful man is the beggar's brither.

The less debt the mair dainties.

"The less I lee."

This is merely a phrase, but a very expressive one. It implies emphatically that "the _whole_ truth, and _nothing_ but the truth,"