The Proverbs of Scotland. Alexander Hislop
driving drift.
Better an ill spune than nae horn.
Better a saft road than bad company.
"'I redd ye, Earnscliff' (this Hobbie added in a gentle whisper), 'let us take a cast about, as if to draw the wind on a buck—the bog is no abune knee-deep, and better a saft road than bad company.'"—The Black Dwarf.
Better a sair fae than a fause friend.
Better a shameless eating than a shamefu' leaving.
Better a sma' fish than an empty dish.
Better at a time to gie than tak.
Better a thigging mither than a riding father.
Better a tocher in her than wi' her.
That is, better that a wife have good qualities without money than vice versa.
Better a toom house than an ill tenant.
Better auld debts than auld sairs.
Better a wee bush than nae beild.
Better a wee fire to warm you than a big fire to burn you.
Better bairns greet than bearded men.
Better be a coward than a corpse.
"Discretion is the better part of valour."—English.
Better be at the end o' a feast than at the beginning o' a fray.
Better be before at a burial than ahint at a bridal.
Better be blythe wi' little than sad wi' naething.
Better be envied than pitied.
Better be friends at a distance than enemies at hame.
Better be happy than wise.
Better be idle than ill doing.
Better be John Tamson's man, than Ring and Dinn's, or John Knox's.
"John Thomson's man is he that is complaisant to his wife's humours; Ring and Dinn's is he whom his wife scolds; John Knox's is he whom his wife beats."—Kelly.
Better be kind than cumbersome.
Better belly burst than gude meat spoil.
A plea for gluttony on the score of economy.
Better bend than break.
Better be out o' the warld than out o' fashion.
Better be sonsy than soon up.
Better be the head o' the commons than the tail o' the gentry.
"To reign is worth ambition, though in hell;
Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven."
—Milton.
Better be the lucky man than the lucky man's son.
Better bow to my faes than beg frae my friends.
Better buy than borrow.
Better cry "Feigh, saut," than "Feigh, stink."
The first can be remedied or improved in cooking; but a putrid article cannot.
Better day the better deed.
Better do it than wish it done.
Better eat brown bread in youth than in eild.
Better fed than bred.
Better find iron than tine siller.
Better fleech a fool than fight him.
"'I have as much mind as ever I had to my dinner, to go back and tell him to sort his horse himself, since he is as able as I am.' 'Hout tout, man!' answered Jasper, 'keep a calm sough: better to fleech a fool than fight with him.'"—The Monastery.
Better gang about than fa' in the dub.
Rather a long road and safety than a short one attended with danger.
Better gang to bed supperless than rise in debt.
Better gie the slight than tak it.
Better greet ower your gudes than after your gudes.
Meaning that it is better not to sell goods at all than to sell and not be paid for them.
Better gude sale than gude ale.
Better guide weel than work sair.
Better hae than want.
Better hain weel than work sair.
Better half egg than toom doup.
"Better half an egg than empty shells."—German.
Better half hang'd than ill married.
Better hand loose nor bound to an ill bakie.
"Bakie, the stake to which an ox or cow is bound to the stall."—Jamieson.
Better hands loose than in an ill tethering.
Better happy at court than in gude service.
Better haud at the brim than at the bottom.
Better haud by a hair than draw by a tether.
Better haud out than put out.
"Prevention is better than cure."—English.
Better haud wi' the hounds than rin wi' the hare.
The policy of the Vicar of Bray. It is better to side with the strongest or winning party.
Better keep the deil out than hae to put him out.
Better keep weel than make weel.
Better lang little than soon naething.
Better late thrive than never do weel.
Better laugh at your ain pint stoup, than greet and gather gear.
It is better to be merry spending money, than sorrowful acquiring it.
Better learn frae your neebor's skaith than frae your ain.
Learn experience rather from the misfortunes of others than from your own.
Better leave to my faes than beg frae my friends.
Better leave than lack.
That it is better to have too much of some things than too little.
Better live in hope than die in despair.
Better marry ower the midden than ower the muir.
Rather marry among those whom you know than go among strangers for a wife. "Marry over the mixon, and you will know who and what she is."—German. "Your wife and your nag get from a neighbour."—Italian.
Better master ane than fight wi' ten.
Better my bairns seek frae me than I beg frae them.
Better my friends think me fremit than fashious.
Better visit friends seldom than so often as to prove troublesome.
Better nae ring nor the ring o' a rash.
Better ne'er begun than ne'er ended.
Better ower 't than in 't.
Better beyond the fear of danger than in it.
Better plays the fu' wame than the new coat.
A man may be well dressed but still have a hungry belly, and vice versa. He that has the "fu' wame" is the more likely to be in good spirits.
Better rough an' sonsy than bare an' donsy.
It is better to be rough in manners, if coupled with prosperous circumstances, than be "genteel" and at the same time poverty stricken.
Better rue sit than rue flit.
Better