Proverbs are the wisdom of the street. (A proverb about proverbs)
I’m sure most of you knew most of the usual endings to the familiar proverbs in my last post that got amusing new endings by the kids. But in case you didn’t, here they are in parenthesis beside the kids’ answers. At least these are what sounds right to me. If you have a different ending, that would be fun to know. Sometimes these types of sayings can have regional differences. (If you read to the end, you can figure out why I let Mama Mia post her picture here.)
~Better to be safe than … Punch a 5th grader (sorry) You have to remember these were 1st graders talking.
~Strike while the … Bug is close (iron is hot) – Blacksmithing truth there. You can’t shape the iron until it is glowing hot. The father in my book, Angel Sister, was a blacksmith and so was my grandfather when my mother was a kid. I had to do some blacksmithing research for that story, but I also had Mom’s memories of going to her dad’s blacksmith shop after school.
~It’s always darkest before … Daylight Savings Time (the dawn)
~Don’t bite the hand that … looks dirty (feeds you)
~No news is … impossible (good news) Maybe we should all look for some good news every day.
~A miss is as good as a … Mr. (mile) I may have this one wrong since I could be thinking “an inch is as good as a mile.” Don’t we all say that when we manage to ease out of a parking spot?
~If you lie down with dogs, you’ll … stink in the morning (rise up with fleas) – I think this might be right. Do you have a different ending?
~Love all, trust … me (no one) Not sure that makes for a very happy life.
~Happy the bride who … gets all the presents – This is the one I didn’t know, the internet says the sun shines on. One place even says the rain falls on. The kid has a good idea though.
~A penny saved is … not much (earned) – I think the kid is right. Some people won’t even lean over to pick up a penny these days. I still do even if it is face down and all the luck has drained away. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not superstitious.
~Two’s company, three’s … the Musketeers (a crowd) But love the kid’s answer. Plus, the three’s a crowd might only be true with couples in love.
~Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and … you have to blow your nose (you cry alone) But when I cry I do need a tissue to mop up.
~You get out of something what you … see pictured on the box (put into it) And that could be what is pictured on the box.
So how about some more to give your brain a work out and to see if we can be as clever as some first graders. So, pick some of these or one of your own and give it a new ending.
1. Many hands …
2. Honesty is the …
3. The grass is always greener …
4. Don’t judge a book …
5. An apple a day keeps …
6. Better late than …
7. Rome wasn’t built …
8. Actions speak louder than …
9. It’s no use crying over …
10. Still waters …
11. Curiosity killed …
I’ll do the 4th and last one.
4. Don’t judge a book … until you read it!
I’m changing the last one up a little. 11. No curiosity killed … a lot of good stories.
I know. My proverbs aren’t exactly good life lessons, but that’s okay.
Which one do you want to rewrite?
Giveaway Time – A New Game
Tell you what – this sounds like a new game for us – the Proverb Game!! So leave a comment about one or more of the proverbs and I’ll throw your name in my giveaway hat for the chance to win your choice of one of my books, but not the upcoming one since I don’t have copies yet. Deadline to enter is midnight EST, January 31. 2025.
That’s the same deadline as my newsletter giveaway. If you didn’t get my newsletter and would like to, just let me know in a comment. When I changed newsletter services, I somehow lost some subscribers, but I’d be glad to sign you up again if you want to receive my occasional news.
Comments 46
10. Still waters can be stagnant.
Author
Pamela, I was thinking that too, but I still like Amy’s about the still waters whowing the slightest ripples. Not sure what lesson we can learn from either. Maybe that we need to be moving to keep from getting stagnant and maybe by being still and listening or waiting we can feel the ripple of a new idea or thought we might have missed if we are too busy. I think I am often too busy.
The grass is always greener than the sky.
An apple a day keeps the hunger away.
Author
Love those, Megan. If the sky gets green as grass, I think we’ve got trouble. 🙂
Rome wasn’t built with Lego’s
Many hands make work go faster.
The grass is always greener when it’s fertilized.
Author
Good ones, Connie. My husband says folks that fertilize their lawns must like to mow. LOL. Many hands always made quilting go faster back in those days of quilting bees.
Many hands make a mess.
Author
The many hand proverb was a popular one to come up with a new ending, Alison. I’m thinking those of you who think they are going to make a mess or that it makes more work might have worked with a bunch of kids trying to do something artistic in Bible School. LOL. And Marti might know about cooking for workhands like I used to have to sometimes. Definitely the more hands coming to the table means more cooking work. 🙂
Never judge a book by the person holding it.
The grass is always greener over the septic tank.
Still water turns green.
Author
Good ones, Gail. I don’t know whether you remember Erma Brombeck who wrote amusing stories about a woman’s life as mother and housewife, but I think she had a book titled The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank or something like that.
I like the one about not judging a book by the person holding it although if I know the reader, then I sometimes will think the book is one I’ll like too.
My Mom loved Erma Bombeck and I have her books and Liz Johnson’s books.
It’s true, though. My Mom HAD a septic tank (underground) and the grass was ALWAYS THICK and green above it.😊
Author
I have a septic tank and I planted flowers over it. Not the best idea if you ever have to dig the septic tank up if you have plumbing problems. But so far the flowers have safely bloomed.
Better late than missing dinner altogether!
Don’t judge a book by all the reviews.
Many hands make a bigger mess!
Author
I can go for those, Kathy. We can hope however if fixing the dinner will save a plate for us. 🙂
I especially like the one about not judging the book by all the reviews. Readers do have some different tastes in books and just because one or even a dozen people don’t like a book or do that doesn’t mean it will be the same for you. Of course, I like it when the reviewers like my stories and feel bad if they don’t.
It’s no use crying over days gone by.
Author
That’s a great change, Debra, although I guess that is sort of what no used crying or spilt milk means. Things you can’t change, you can’t change. But we can have fun rewriting these proverbs.
Still waters respond to the slightest ripple
Author
That sort of puts a poetic turn on that proverb, Amy. I like yours better than my original idea of how that still puddle of water might get stagnant. Marti and I were thinking alike on that one. I could have also thought about how a still pool of water makes the water spiders have a great time sipping here and there. But that’s too long for a proverb ending.
The grass is always greener where the dog has does his business!
Author
A little fertilizer never hurts, Terri. 🙂
The grass is always greener….under the dripping spigot.
Thanks, Ann, for another opportunity to win one of your books!
Author
The grass is… seems to be one of the popular proverbs to rewrite, Judi. But grass does like water. It’s getting some winter water now from all our snow. Maybe that will make it greener in the spring.
The grass is always greener when you water it.
Author
Very true, Sharon. And the more you water it, the more you have to mow it. 🙂
I didn’t read the instructions and emailed my answers. Blame it on a senior moment. Lol
Author
I will have to look for your email, Tammy. Don’t think I’ve seen it come in yet, but you can always post the comment here again. Either way, I have pitched your name in my giveaway drawing hat. 🙂 And senior moments do attack us at times.
I’ll change one: “Don’t judge a book by its TITLE.” I avoided reading “ The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs.Kip” for the longest time because I didn’t read about deaths even though readers kept recommending it on the FB group Avid Readers of Christian Fiction, but after many months, finally decided to read it and was so glad I did! What a wonderful book. BTW, love this game!
Author
Titles can make a difference in the appeal of a book, Jeanne. Glad you decided to give the Mrs. Kip book a try despite the title and that you enjoyed the story. But your experience shows why authors and publishers work hard to find the best titles. I’ve liked most of my titles and a few were ones I originally chose. Some of my original titles just didn’t hit the mark and so with my input and the input of the publishing committee we came up with titles we hoped would grab a reader’s attention and make them want to pick up my book.
I’m glad you are enjoying my new game. 🙂
Mine aren’t very clever, but I had a lot of fun!
1. Many hands… make more work.
2. Honesty is the… most brutal.
3. The grass is always greener… on someone else’s ranch.
4. Don’t judge a book… by the number of pages.
5. A apple a day keeps… a farmer in business.
6. Better late than… to never have read at all.
7. Rome wasn’t built… by throwing the instructions away.
8. Actions speak louder than… yelling.
9. It’s no use crying over… spoilt milk.
10. Still waters… grow nasty bacteria.
11. Curiosity killed… Lot’s wife.
I know that I didn’t have to come up with so many! 😂
Author
I love readers who get in the spirit of the challenge, Marti. You were welcome to give any or all of them a try. I enjoyed the new endings you supplied for yours. I especially like the one about honesty. I had also thought about that one about still waters getting stagnant, although Amy’s about the still water showing a ripple is good too. But your very best one is the last about Lot’s wife. That one is very true.
Actions speak louder than not doing anything at all.
Author
Best to keep that action going, Diana. Thanks for taking action and coming up with a new end for one of the proverbs.
When it rains, it gets muddy.
Author
You are right there, Deborah. But we can hope the grass grows too. 🙂
1. Many hands take a lot of hand sanitizer.
5. An apple a day keeps your doctor in debt with student loans.
Author
Love those, Connie. We all can remember having to search for that hand sanitizer in 2020. The other might be true too, but we must not be eating enough apples. Seems as though we still keep plenty of doctors busy.
Don’t judge a book until it’s over.
Author
You are so right, Dana, although I have to admit to sometimes giving up on liking a book before it’s over at times. Not often though. I usually read to the end.
3. The grass is always greener …on a golf course.
1. Many hands… Need many gloves.( Especially in this weather)
Author
Good ones, Lisa. I can’t imagine what made you think up the one about gloves. LOL. I’ve had that situation sometimes in the past when the grandkids were here and wanted to go play in the snow. Got to have those gloves.
And that grass is always greener on those golf courses.
It’s no use crying over anything you can’t control! That’s the only one I can up with something for!
Author
That one is a good one, Trudy. All of us might be happier if we kept that in mind.