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Little Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs
Little Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs features 2,000 proverbs and sayings from around the world, grouped under 250 subject headings that range from "Cats" and "Dogs" to "Achievement" and "Extravagance."
Drawing on Oxford's ongoing dictionary research and language monitoring program, this fascinating book unearths sayings from Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and other cultures, which are used in the English-speaking world, together with proverbs more traditionally used in the English
language. This broadness of scope emphasizes the way the same idea may be expressed in different expressions around the world. Looking for a proverb about "caution"? Go from "Let sleeping dogs lie" (English, late 14th century) to "Let's be careful out there" (the catchphrase from Hill Street Blues ),
from "Poke a bush, a snake comes out" (Japanese proverb) to "Caution is the parent of safety" (American, early 18th century), from "Delhi is far away" (an Indian proverb from the 14th century) to "Once bitten by a snake, a man will be afraid of a piece of rope for three years" (China, 20th century).
Each theme has a short introduction giving an overview of key elements in the proverbial treatment of the topic. Each entry has relevant further information about date, source, and meaning. A comprehensive keyword index also makes the volume easy to navigate.
Concise, convenient, authoritative, and affordable, the Little Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs lets readers keep a traveling database of wise sayings and sage advice right in their pocket or purse. It's as handy as it is indispensable--the perfect gift for lovers of language and history.
Drawing on Oxford's ongoing dictionary research and language monitoring program, this fascinating book unearths sayings from Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and other cultures, which are used in the English-speaking world, together with proverbs more traditionally used in the English
language. This broadness of scope emphasizes the way the same idea may be expressed in different expressions around the world. Looking for a proverb about "caution"? Go from "Let sleeping dogs lie" (English, late 14th century) to "Let's be careful out there" (the catchphrase from Hill Street Blues ),
from "Poke a bush, a snake comes out" (Japanese proverb) to "Caution is the parent of safety" (American, early 18th century), from "Delhi is far away" (an Indian proverb from the 14th century) to "Once bitten by a snake, a man will be afraid of a piece of rope for three years" (China, 20th century).
Each theme has a short introduction giving an overview of key elements in the proverbial treatment of the topic. Each entry has relevant further information about date, source, and meaning. A comprehensive keyword index also makes the volume easy to navigate.
Concise, convenient, authoritative, and affordable, the Little Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs lets readers keep a traveling database of wise sayings and sage advice right in their pocket or purse. It's as handy as it is indispensable--the perfect gift for lovers of language and history.
- GenresReferenceNonfiction
512 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 2, 2023
A nice little book with a collection of proverbs (mainly English, but some also from around the world) and sayings.
The proverbs are arranged by theme, and at the beginning of each theme there is a small paragraph about the characteristics of the corresponding proverbs. When it is required there are information explaining more so the saying, which is quite useful. There are also information about the origins of the proverb, regarding time and place.
Most of them are successful and haven't lost their usefulness even in modern days; there are however a few that are a bit outdated and archaic. The other thing that I didn't like much is the fact that some sayings in this collection are in fact modern advertisements quotes, not proverbs at all.
The sayings that I liked the most are the following:
An army of stags led by a lion would be more formidable than one of lions led by a stag.
Business is like a car: it will not run by itself except downhill.
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.
No matter how long a log floats in the river, it will never become a crocodile.
Better a good cow than a cow of a good kind.
A golden key can open any door.
After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.
You can only die once.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Idleness is never enjoyable unless there is plenty to do.
If you have two coins, use one to buy bread, the other to buy hyacinths.
A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple.
If anything can go wrong, it will.
A watched pot never boils.
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.
Man fears Time, but Time fears the Pyramids.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (all the letters of the alphabet).
The proverbs are arranged by theme, and at the beginning of each theme there is a small paragraph about the characteristics of the corresponding proverbs. When it is required there are information explaining more so the saying, which is quite useful. There are also information about the origins of the proverb, regarding time and place.
Most of them are successful and haven't lost their usefulness even in modern days; there are however a few that are a bit outdated and archaic. The other thing that I didn't like much is the fact that some sayings in this collection are in fact modern advertisements quotes, not proverbs at all.
The sayings that I liked the most are the following:
An army of stags led by a lion would be more formidable than one of lions led by a stag.
Business is like a car: it will not run by itself except downhill.
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.
No matter how long a log floats in the river, it will never become a crocodile.
Better a good cow than a cow of a good kind.
A golden key can open any door.
After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.
You can only die once.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Idleness is never enjoyable unless there is plenty to do.
If you have two coins, use one to buy bread, the other to buy hyacinths.
A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple.
If anything can go wrong, it will.
A watched pot never boils.
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.
Man fears Time, but Time fears the Pyramids.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (all the letters of the alphabet).
August 15, 2019
The proverbs are organised according to subject: e.g. luck, faith, war, etc. There were at least one or two proverbs I recognised in each category, but many of them I'd never heard of, and quite a few of them I wouldn't call "proverbs" at all. The author includes their origin/source, and some of them were from movies, the army, and things like that... could those really be called "proverbs", especially if the source was so obscure that I'm sure few to none have ever come across them? Also, the phrasing (mainly grammatical) of several proverbs isn't exactly as they're commonly used.
December 2, 2020
comfort reading during the pandemic
April 2, 2024
Perhaps not a cover-to-cover riveting read, but great for dipping in and out of for the occasional bit of insight. Also great if you need a quote for any reason.
August 5, 2024
Paper is patient.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews