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Proverbs starting with A

1: A bad beginning makes a bad ending.
meaning that:

2: A bad compromise is better than a good lawsuit.
it means that:

3: A bad excuse is better than none.
means that:

4: A bad man is better than a bad name.
implies that:

5: A bad penny always turns up.
means that:

6: A bad workman quarrels with his tools.
said for :

7: A bellowing cow soon forgets her calf.
is used for:

8: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
suggests that:

9: A bird is known by its song, a man by his words.
it means that:

10: A bird never flew on one wing.
It implies that:

11: A black hen lays a white egg.
meaning:

12: A black plum is as sweet as a white.
said to mean that:

13: A bleating sheep loses a bite.
suggests that:

14: A blind leader of the blind.
is applied to:

15: A blind man would be glad to see.
said when:

16: A blind man's wife needs no paint.
it is used :

17: A book holds a house of gold.
used to mean that:

18: A broken friendship may be soldered, but will never be sound.
suggests that:

19: A bully is always a coward.
or else:

20: A burden of one’s own choice is not felt.
meaning that:

21: A burnt child dreads the fire.
is said for:

22: A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor.
suggests that:

23: A cat in gloves catches no mice.
suggests that:

24: A cat may look at a king.
used to say that:

25: A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
it means that:

26: A change is as good as a rest
suggests that:

27: A chicken and egg question,
refers to:

28: A city that parleys is half gotten.
suggests that:

29: A civil denial is better than a rude grant.
meaning:

30: A civil question deserves a civil answer
used to say that:

31: A clean conscience is a good pillow
meaning that:

32: A clean fast is better than a dirty breakfast.
used to say that:

33: A clean hand wants no washing,
is said for:

34: A clear conscience laughs at false accusations.
meaning that:

35: A clever hawk hides its claws.
suggests that:

36: A close mouth catches no flies.
implies that:

37: A cock is valiant on his own dunghill.
is used for:

38: A constant guest is never welcome.
expresses that:

39: A contented mind is a perpetual feast
expression suggesting that:

40: A cracked bell can never sound well.
meaning that:

41: A creaking door hangs long on its hinges.
is said for:

42: A cross to bear
declares:

43: A danger foreseen is half avoided.
meaning that:

44: A day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy.
suggests that:

45: A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple
suggests that:

46: A dog that will fetch a bone will carry a bone.
used to say that:

47: A door must either be shut or open
states that:

48: A dripping June sets all in tune
means that:

49: A drop in the bucket.
idiom meaning:

50: A drop of ink may make a million think.
said to mean that:

51: A drowning man will catch at a straw.
is said for:

52: A fair exchange is no robbery
it is used:

53: A fair face may hide a foul heart.
used to say that:

54: A fault confessed is half redressed.
meaning that:

55: A fish rots from the head down
declares that:

56: A flower blooms more than once.
indicates that:

57: A fly in the ointment.
expression that:

58: A fly will not get into a closed mouth.
said to mean that:

59: A fool and his money are soon parted.
is used to :

60: A fool at forty is a fool indeed.
meaning that:

61: A fool may ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can answer in seven years.
meaning:

62: A fool may throw a stone into a well which a hundred wise men can not get out.
meaning that:

63: A fool’s tongue runs before his wit.
is said for:

64: A forced kindness deserves no thanks.
meaning that:

65: A fox is not taken twice in the same snare.
it means:

66: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
it means:

67: A friend to all is a friend to none.
It means that :

68: A friend’s frown is better than a foe’s smile.
it means that:

69: A full cup needs a steady hand.
It suggests that:

70: A golden key can open any door.
used to mean that:

71: A good anvil does not fear the hammer.
means that:

72: A good deed is never lost.
it means that:

73: A good dog deserves a good bone.
it means that:

74: A good example is the best sermon.
it means that:

75: A good face is a letter of recommendation.
it means that:

76: A good horse cannot be of a bad color
suggests that:

77: A good husband makes a good wife.
it implies that:

78: A good Jack makes a good Jill.
is said for:

79: A good marksman may miss.
is used for:

80: A good name is better than riches.
it means that:

81: A good name is sooner lost than won.
meaning that:

82: A good name keeps its luster in the dark.
means that:

83: A great dowry is a bed full of brambles.
because :

84: A great ship asks deep waters.
it means that:

85: A green yule makes a fat churchyard
refers to:

86: A growing youth has a wolf in his belly.
said to mean that:

87: A guilty conscience is the mother of invention.
expression suggesting that:

88: A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
it implies that:

89: A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.
said to mean that:

90: A happy heart is better than a full purse.
used to say that:

91: A hard nut to crack.
refers to:

92: A heavy purse makes a light heart.
signifies that:

93: A hedge between keeps friendship green.
it means that:

94: A hole is but a hole, though laden with gold.
said to mean that:

95: A honey tongue, a heart of gall.
is used for:

96: A house divided against itself cannot stand
suggests that:

97: A hungry belly has no ears.
means that:

98: A hungry man is an angry man.
used to say that:

99: A hungry wolf is fixed to no place.
It implies that:

100: A Jack of all trades is master of none.
said for :

101: A job worth doing is a job worth doing well
suggests that:

102: A Joke never gains an enemy but often loses a friend.
said to mean that:

103: A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.
meaning:

104: A lazy sheep thinks its wool heavy.
means that:

105: A lender nor borrower be.
the best is:

106: A leopard can’t change its spots.
meaning that:

107: A liar is not believed when he speaks the truth.
expresses that:

108: A lie begets a lie.
expression meaning that :

109: A lie is halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on
suggests :

110: A light purse is a heavy curse.
idiom meaning that:

111: A light purse makes a heavy heart.
means that:

112: A little fire is quickly trodden out.
said to mean that:

113: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
suggests that:

114: A little pot is soon hot
suggests that:

115: A live dog is better than a dead lion
states that:

116: A loaded wagon makes no noise.
states that:

117: A loveless life is living death.
used to mean that:

118: A man eho is hiw own lawyer has a fool for his client
suggests that:

119: A man in debt is caught in a net
declares that :

120: A man is as old he feels and a woman as old as she looks.
suggests that:

121: A man is judged by his deeds, not by his words.
said to mean that:

122: A man is known by the company he keeps.
suggests that:

123: A miserly father makes a prodigal son.
obviously:

124: A miss is as good as a mile.
meaning that:

125: A moneyless man goes fast through the market
meaning that:

126: A monkey in silk is a monkey no less
said to mean that:

127: A new broom sweeps clean.
said when:

128: A nod from a lord is a breakfast for a fool.
it means that:

129: A nod is as good as a wink.
means that:

130: A penny saved is a penny gained.
means that:

131: A penny soul never came to twopence.
means:

132: A picture is worth a thousand words.
suggests that:

133: A place for everything and everything in its place.
an exhortation:

134: A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country.
suggests that:

135: A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder.
means that:

136: A rising tide lifts all boats.
states that:

137: A rolling stone gathers no moss.
used to say that:

138: A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet
suggests that:

139: A rotten apple spoils the barrel.
suggests that:

140: A round peg in a square hole.
idiom for:

141: A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what a ship is for.
means that:

142: A short horse is soon curried,
states that:

143: A shut mouth catches no flies,
meaning that:

144: A shy cat makes a proud mouse.
meaning that:

145: A silent fool is counted wise.
or else :

146: A slice off a cut loaf isn’t missed
said to mean that:

147: A small leak will sink a great ship.
used to say that:

148: A soft answer turns away wrath.
suggests that:

149: A sound mind in a sound body.
expresses that:

150: A stitch in time saves nine
said to mean that:

151: A storm in a teacup.
is used for:

152: A straw will show which way the wind blows
meaning that:

153: A stumble may prevent a fall.
said to mean that:

154: A swallow does not make the summer.
said to mean that:

155: A thief knows a thief as a wolf knows a wolf.
similar:

156: A thief passes for a gentleman when stealing has made him rich.
used to say that:

157: A thing begun is half done.
expresses that:

158: A thing of beauty is a joy forever
said to mean that:

159: A threatened blow is seldom given.
suggests that:

160: A tidy house holds a bored woman.
an old stereotype:

161: A tree is known by its fruit.
signifies that:

162: A wager is a fool’s argument.
in other words:

163: A watched pot never boils.
indicates that:

164: A wise head keeps a still tongue
said to mean that:

165: A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.
states that:

166: A wolf in sheep’s clothing.
expression for:

167: A wonder lasts but nine days.
implies that:

168: A word is enough to the wise.
used for saying that:

169: A word spoken is past recalling.
means that:

170: A young idler, an old beggar.
meaning:

171: Absence is the mother of disillusion
said to mean that:

172: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
it means that:

173: Accidents will happen, in the best regulated families.
states that:

174: Acting like a chicken with its head cut-off
said for :

175: Actions speak louder than words.
It means that :

176: Admiration is the daughter of ignorance
suggests that:

177: Adversity is a great schoolmaster.
implies that:

178: Adversity is the only balance to weigh friends.
states that:

179: Adversity makes strange bedfellows.
means that:

180: Advice is least heeded when most needed.
said to mean that:

181: Advisors run no risks.
used to say that:

182: Afraid of one’s own Shadow.
expression for:

183: After a storm comes a calm.
conveys the idea that:

184: After dinner comes the reckoning.
used to say that:

185: After dinner sleep a while, after supper walk a mile.
suggests that:

186: After rain comes fair weather.
meaning:

187: After us the deluge.
expression stating :

188: Against the clock
meaning that:

189: Age before beauty.
expression meaning that :

190: Agnes come on horseback, but go away on foot.
said when:

191: Agree, for the law is costly
signifies that:

192: Agree, for the law is costly.
states that:

193: All are not friends that speak us fair.
indicates that:

194: All are not hunters that blow the horn.
used to say that:

195: All are not merry that dance lightly.
meaning that:

196: All are not saints that go to church.
said for :

197: All asses wag their ears.
suggests that:

198: All bread is not baked in one oven.
maybe:

199: All cats are grey in the dark.
meaning:

200: All covet, all lose.
said to mean that:

201: All days are short to industry and long to idleness.
used to say that:

202: All doors open to courtesy.
used to say that:

203: All in good time.
meaning that:

204: All is fair in love and war.
suggests that:

205: All is fish that comes in the net
said for:

206: All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.
shows:

207: All is not lost that is in peril.
means that:

208: All is well that ends well.
is said for:

209: All lay load on the willing horse.
suggests that:

210: All men can’t be first.
literaly:

211: All promises are either broken or kept.
said when:

212: All roads lead to Rome .
means that:

213: All sugar and honey.
expression said for:

214: All that glitters is not gold.
means that:

215: All things are difficult before they are easy.
signifies that:

216: All things come to those who wait.
expresses:

217: All things grow with time - except grief.
expresses that:

218: All thumbs
is used :

219: All truths are not to be told.
meaning:

220: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
used to say that:

221: Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
is said for:

222: Always put your best foot forward.
suggests that:

223: Among the blind, the one-eyed is a king.
expresses that:

224: An ape is an ape, a varlet is a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet.
expresses that:

225: An army marches on its stomach.
states that:

226: An empty hand is no lure for a hawk.
informs that:

227: An empty purse frightens friends away.
said to mean that:

228: An empty sack cannot stand upright.
said to mean that:

229: An empty vessel gives a greater sound than a full barrel.
means that:

230: An empty vessel makes much noise.
suggests that:

231: An Englishman's word is his bond
suggests that:

232: An evil chance seldom comes alone.
suggests that:

233: An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening.
because:

234: An idle brain is the devil’s workshop.
meaning that:

235: An idle youth, a needy age,
used to mean that:

236: An ill wound is cured, not an ill name.
suggests that:

237: An oak is not felled at one stroke.
means that:

238: An old dog barks not in vain.
is used for:

239: An old man is twice a child
refers to:

240: An old poacher makes the best gamekeeper
suggests that:

241: An once of practice is worth a pound of precept.
meaning that:

242: An open door may tempt a saint.
means that:

243: An ounce of common sense is worth a pound of theory.
suggests that:

244: An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of learning.
it is better:

245: An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit.
emphasizes:

246: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
suggests that:

247: An ox is taken by the horns, and a man by the tongue.
used to say that:

248: An unfortunate man would be drowned in a teacup.
said for :

249: Anger and haste hinder good counsel.
points out :

250: Anger is the one thing made better by delay.
declares that:

251: Another day, another dollar.
shows:

252: Ants in his pants (has)
said for :

253: Any port in a storm.
means that:

254: Any publicity is good publicity.
because:

255: Any time means no time.
signifies that:

256: Any time means no time.
used to mean that:

257: Appearances are deceitful.
suggests that:

258: Appetite comes with eating.
suggests that:

259: Apple doesn't fall far from the tree
said for :

260: April showers bring May flowers.
said to mean that:

261: As drunk as a lord
expression meaning:

262: As fate would have it
states that:

263: As good be an addled egg as an idle bird
applied to :

264: As like as an apple to an oyster.
expression empphasizes :

265: As old as the hills.
expression meaning:

266: As plain as the nose on a man’s face.
said for :

267: As plain as two and two make four.
used to say that:

268: As snug as a bug in a rug .
meaning:

269: As sure as eggs is eggs.
said when:

270: As the fool thinks, so the bell clinks
It suggests that:

271: As the old cock crows, so does the young.
suggesting that:

272: As the tree falls, so shall it lie.
used to mean that:

273: As the tree, so the fruit.
used to say that:

274: As welcome as flowers in May.
expression meaning :

275: As welcome as water in one’s shoes.
means:

276: As well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb.
used to say that:

277: As you bake, so shall you brew.
suggests that:

278: As you brew, so must you drink.
means that:

279: As you make your bed, so must you lie on it.
means that:

280: As you sow, so shall you reap.
means that:

281: Ask a silly question and you get a silly answer.
meaning:

282: Ask no questions and you will be told no lies.
means that:

283: At the blink of an eye
meaning:

284: Attack is the best form of defence.
suggests that:

285: Avoidance is the only remedy
suggests that: