The Proverbs of Scotland. Alexander Hislop
"A proverbial phrase, equivalent to all one, all to the same purpose."—Jamieson.
A' ae oo', a' ae price.
A' are gude lasses, but where do the ill wives come frae?
"All are good maids, but whence come the bad wives?"—Spanish.
A' are no friends that speak us fair.
"All are not friends who smile at you."—Dutch.
A' are no thieves that dogs bark at.
A bad wound may heal, but a bad name will kill.
A bairn maun creep afore it gangs.
A bald head is sune shaved.
A bark frae a teethless dog is as gude as a bite.
A bauld fae is better than a cowardly friend.
A bawbee cat may look at a king.
A beggar's wallet is a mile to the bottom.
Because it generally contrives to contain all he gets.
"A begun turn is half ended," quo' the wife when she stuck the graip in the midden.
A jocular beginning of work, which, if it went no further, would be long enough ere it were finished.
A beltless bairn canna lee.
"I suppose it means a child before it be so old as to wear belted truese, will not have the cunning to invent a lie."—Kelly.
A bird in the hand's worth twa fleeing by.
A bit but and a bit ben maks a mim maiden at the board end.
"A jocose reflection upon young maids when they eat almost nothing to dinner, intimating that if they had not eaten a little in the pantry or kitchen, they would eat better at the table."—Kelly.
A bit is aften better gi'en than eaten.
A black hen can lay a white egg.
A black shoe maks a blythe heart.
"Whan a man's shoe is blackened and bedaub'd with industry, it will procure him such a supply as will make him cheerful."—Kelly.
A Blainslie lawin'—there's mair for meat than drink.
A blate cat maks a proud mouse.
When discipline is not enforced, subordinates are apt to take advantage of it.
A blind man needs nae looking-glass.
A blind man's wife needs nae painting.
A blythe heart maks a bloomin' look.
A body's no broke while they hae a gude kail stock.
"When all is not lost, all can be recovered."—English.
A bonnie bride is sune buskit, and a short horse is sune wispit.
"For little adornment is required to set forth the bride's charms; and the smaller the horse, it is the sooner 'wispit' or cleaned."—Kelly.
A bonnie gryce may mak an ugly sow.
"Fair in the cradle may be foul in the saddle."—English.
A borrowed len' should gae laughing hame.
When we return an article which has been borrowed, to its owner, we should do it with a good grace.
About the moon there is a brugh: the weather will be cauld and rough.
"The halo seen round the moon, being a consequence of the humidity of the atmosphere, may well betoken wet weather."—Robert Chambers.
A bow o'erbent will weaken.
Abundance o' law breaks nae law.
A careless watch invites the thief.
A' cats are grey in the dark.
A clean synd's better than a dirty dry.
"A clean thing's kindly," quo' the wife when she turned her sark after a month's wear.
A close mouth catches nae flees.
"A shut mouth keeps me out of strife."—Portuguese.
A cock's aye crouse on his ain midden-head.
"A cock is valiant on his own dunghill."—Danish.
A' complain o' want o' siller, but nane o' want o' sense.
A coward's fear maks a brave man braver.
A crackit bell will never mend.
A' cracks mauna be trew'd.
All that is heard must not be believed.
A crafty man's ne'er at peace.
A' craiks a' bears.
"Craik," to complain: great complainers wish to make others believe that their own lot is a very hard one.
A crammed kyte maks a crazy carcase.
"A full belly sets a man jigging."—French.
A craw will no wash white.
A crooked man should sow beans, and a woad man peas.
"The one agrees to be thick sown, the other thin."—Kelly.
A crookit stick will throw a crookit shadow.
A croonin cow, a crawin hen, and a whistlin maid, were ne'er very chancy.
"The two first are reckoned ominous, but the reflection is on the third, in whom whistling is unbecoming."—Kelly.
A cuddy's gallop's sune done.
A cumbersome cur is hated in company.
A daft nurse maks a wise wean.
A day to come seems langer than a year that's gane.
A dear ship lies lang in the harbour.
A dink maiden aft maks a dirty wife.
A "dink," neat or trim, maiden often forgets her "dinkness" after marriage.
A dish o' married love grows sune cauld.
A dog's life—muckle ease, muckle hunger.
"We have dogs' days, hunger and aise, through the blue month."—Irish. The "blue month" being the interval between the failure of the old crop of potatoes and the coming on of the new one, commonly the month of July.
A dog winna yowl if ye fell him wi' a bane.
"Pelt a dog with bones, and you will not offend him."—Italian.
A doucer man ne'er brak warld's bread.
A saying expressive of unqualified respect.
A drap and a bite's but a sma' requite.
Used to induce a friend to sit down to dinner or tea, meaning that such is but a poor requital of the friend's past services.
A dreigh drink is better than a dry sermon.
A drink is shorter than a tale.
An excuse for drinking during the telling of a story.
A drudger gets a darg, and a drucken wife the drucken penny.
A willing labourer gets a day's work, and people fond of drink, however poor they are, contrive to get it some way or other.
A dry summer ne'er made a dear peck.
"Drought never bred dearth."—English.
A duck winna dabble aye in ae hole.
A dumb man hauds a'.
That