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A proverbial phrase or expression is a type of conventional saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. [1] [2] In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial phrase as:
A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic language.
In the 19th century book, A Guide to the Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar, a proverb concerning magpies is recited: "A single magpie in spring, foul weather will bring". The book further explains that this superstition arises from the habits of pairs of magpies to forage together only when the weather is fine.
Proverb, adage or saw: a widely known or popular aphorism that has gained credibility by long use or tradition. Apothegm/Apophthegm : "an edgy, more cynical aphorism; such as, 'Men are generally more careful of the breed of their horses and dogs than of their children.'" [ 3 ]
Though the spirit of the proverb had been expressed previously, the modern saying first appeared in James Howell's Proverbs (1659). [3] [4] [5] It has often been included in subsequent collections of proverbs and sayings. [6] Some writers have added a second part to the proverb, as in Harry and Lucy Concluded (1825) by the Irish novelist Maria ...
This rhyme was first recorded in A. E. Bray's Traditions of Devonshire (Volume II, pp. 287–288) [2] in 1836 and was later collected by James Orchard Halliwell in the mid-19th century, varying the final lines to "The child that's born on Christmas Day/ Is fair and wise, good and gay."
Proverbs taken chiefly from the Adagia explained and freely downloadable through the Internet Archive. Suringar, W. H. D., Erasmus over nederlandsche spreekworden (Utrecht 1873): An extraordinary and formerly hard-to-find compilation that identifies Erasmus' proverbs in many 16th-century vernacular proverb collections.
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).