The Proverbs of Scotland Part 94

The poor man's s.h.i.+lling is but a penny.

The post o' honour is the post o' danger.

The proof o' the pudding's the preein' o't.

The proudest nettle grows on a midden.

And a very proud person may have sprung from a poor family.

The rain comes scouth when the wind's in the south.

To rain "scouth," is to rain abundantly or heavily.

There are great stots in Ireland, but they canna get here for horns.

There are mair foxes than there are holes for.

There are mair knaves in my kin than honest men in yours.

There are mair maidens than maukins.

Literally, there are more maidens than young hares. Figuratively, he has lost one sweetheart, but he'll soon get another.

There are mair married than gude house hauders.

Or more persons in the capacity of householders than are competent for the duties of the position.

There are mair wark-days than life-days.

There are nane sae weel shod but may slip.

There belangs mair to a bed than four bare legs.

Spoken to persons about to marry, signifying that more expenses are incurred in housekeeping than they are aware of.

There belangs mair to a ploughman than whistling.

There grows nae gra.s.s at the market cross.

There ne'er came ill frae a gude advice.

There ne'er was a bad that couldna be waur.

There ne'er was a fair word in flyting.

There ne'er was a fire without some reek.

There ne'er was a poor man in his kin.

There ne'er was a s.l.u.t but had a slit, or a daw but had twa.

There ne'er was a five pound note but there was a ten pound road for't.

Such was the reply of a respected lady friend of ours when asked what she did with all the money she got. It does not appear in any previous collection, but it is too good to be lost.

There's a day coming that'll show wha's blackest.

There's a difference between fen o'er and fair well.

"There is a great difference between their way of living who only get a little sc.r.a.p to keep them alive, and theirs who get every day a full meal."--_Kelly._

There's a difference between the piper and his b.i.t.c.h.

There's a difference between "Will you sell?" and "Will you buy?"

There's a dub at every door, and before some doors there's twa.

A "dub" is a pool or puddle of water. Proverbially, there is a skeleton in every house.

There's ae day o' reckoning and anither day o' payment.

There's a flee in my hose.

"That is, I have some trouble of mind or body about me that takes up my thought."--_Kelly._

There's a gude and a bad side to everything; a' the airt is to find it out.

There's a gude shape in the shears' mouth.

But it requires talent and skill to bring it forth.

There's a het hurry when there's a hen to roast.

"There's a mote in't," quo' the man when he swallowed the dishclout.

There's an act in the Laird o' Grant's court, that no abune eleven speak at ance.

A jocular remark when too many speak at once: that it is founded on fact is questionable.

"There's an unco splutter," quo' the sow i' the gutter.

There's a reason for ye, an' a rag about the foot o't.

The meaning of this is, that a very trifling or lame reason has been given for something having been done.

There's as gude fish in the sea as ever came out o't.

"I jalouse it's neither siller nor the Kirk o' Scotland that's fas.h.i.+ng him. If I'm no mista'en, he's vexing himsel' a hantle mair about Miss Migummerie; but he needna be sic a fule--there's as gude fish in the sea as ever yet cam oot o't--that's a' that I'll say."--_The Disruption._