'Can't hold a candle to' - The' proverb with origin and meaning

Origin

Apprentices used to be expected to hold the candle so that more experienced workmen were able to see what they were doing. Someone unable even to do that would be of low status indeed.

Sir Edward Dering used a similar phrase 'to hold the candle' in his The fower cardinal-vertues of a Carmelite fryar, 1641:

"Though I be not worthy to hold the candle to Aristotle."

'To hold a candle' is first recorded in 1883 in William Norris's No New Thing:

"Edith is pretty, very pretty; but she can't hold a candle to Nellie."


Meaning

To compare badly to an known authority - to be unfit even to hold a subordinate position.

'Camera cannot lie-The' proverb with origin and meaning

Meaning

Literal meaning.

Origin

Printed photographs began to be available to the general public around the mid 19th century. When this phrase was coined, which appears to be just a few years later, the view that a photograph was a faithful representation of a scene, in a way that a subjective painting could never be, was a reasonable one. After all, the image that falls on the photographic plate is precisely what the camera is pointing at. Phrases like 'photographic memory' supported the view of photographs as a precise and infallible records.

Many of the earliest references to the phrase describe people's inability to believe that they looked like their photographic portraits. Nevertheless, it may well be that the phrase was used ironically from the start. Whether or not people believed the notion of photographic veracity then, they certainly don't now. We know that the ubiquitous photographic images that fill our visual world are constructs rather than absolute truth. Even early manipulative techniques during the developing process could alter images to suit the photographer's intentions. Photography very soon became more an art form and less a recording process. Now, with digital formats, we are hard pressed to tell truth from fiction.

The earliest citation of the precise 'camera cannot lie' phrase we have found is from The Evening News, Lincoln, Nebraska, November 1895, complete with an intimation of the early doubts about the literal truth of the phrase:

"Photographers, especially amateur photographers, will tell you that the camera cannot lie. This only proves that
photographers, especially amateur photographers, can, for the dry plate can fib as badly as the canvas on occasion."

A slightly modified version of the phrase occurs, just a few months earlier in the Ohio newspaper The Sandusky Register, February 1895:

He looked up from the proof at me and said:
'Good Lord! Do I look like that?'
'The camera doesn't lie about such things', I replied.

'Call of the wild' proverb with origin and meaning

Origin

Jack London had a novel of this name published in 1903, although the phrase may have preceded this.

Meaning

The appeal of nature in the raw.

'Call a spade a spade' proverb with origin and meaning

Origin

It might be thought that this derives from the derogatory use of the slang term 'spade', meaning Negro - an American term originating in the 20th century. That view of it as derogatory might also be thought to be supported by this piece from John Trapp's Mellificium theologicum, or the marrow of many good authors, 1647:

"Gods people shall not spare to call a spade a spade, a niggard a niggard."

Trapp's use of 'niggard' is difficult to interpret. The word had several meanings in the 17th century. It could be used to mean 'miser', which is the more common usage today, or as a general term of abuse - 'lout', 'barbarian' etc. The word was also used as the name of firebricks in grates.

The co-incidence in form and pronuctiation of 'niggard' and 'nigger' causes some confusion. Although the two words probably derived independently, they doubtless affected each other's development of meaning over time.

Whatever Trapp's intention was, we can be confident that he didn't mean 'nigger' or 'negro'.

An earlier expression of the notion, albeit in different form to that which we now use, comes from Nicolas Udall's 'Apophthegmes, that is to saie, prompte saiynges. First gathered by Erasmus' - translated in 1542

Meaning

To speak plainly - to describe something as it really is.

'C' Alphabetical Order Proverbs-List of most of the Commonly Use

Call a spade a spade
Call of the wild - The
Camera cannot lie - The
Can't hold a candle to
Canteen culture
Carbon-copy
Carbon footprint
Card-sharp
Carey Street - On
Carpe diem
Carry coals to Newcastle
Cart before the horse - Put the
Carte blanche
Cash on the nail
(Ne'er) cast a clout till May be out
Cast the first stone
Cat got your tongue?
Cat may look at a king - A
Cat out of the bag - Let the
Catbird seat - In the
Catch 22
Cat's Cradle
Caught in a cleft stick
Caught by the short hairs
Caught red-handed
Chain is only as strong as its weakest link - A
Chaise lounge
Chalk and cheese
Champ at the bit
Channel surfing
Charley horse
Charm offensive
Charmed life
Cheap at half the price
Cherchez la femme
Chew the cud
Chick flick
Chickens come home to roost
Children should be seen and not heard
Chinless wonder
Chip off the old block
Chip on your shoulder
Chit-chat
Chock-a-block
Chop and change
Chop-chop
Chow down
Christmas box - A
Christmas card verses
Clean breast - make a
Clear blue water
Cleft stick - In a
Cliff-hanger
Climb on the bandwagon
Cloak and dagger
Clod-hopper
Close, but no cigar
Close quarters
Close your eyes and think of England
Cloud cuckoo land
Cloud nine
Clue - don't have a
Clutch at straws
Coals to Newcastle - Carry
Cobblers - A load of
Cock-a-hoop
Cock-sure
Cock a snook
Cock and bull story
Cock-up
Cockney rhyming slang
Codswallop - a load of
Cogito ergo sum
Coin a phrase
Cold as any stone
Cold comfort
Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey
Cold feet
Cold shoulder
Cold turkey
Collywobbles - The
Colour up
Come a cropper
Come clean
Come on down
Come up trumps
Come what come may
Comes to the crunch - (When it)
(Coming in) on a wing and a prayer
Comparisons are odious
Compassion fatigue
Complete shambles
Cook the books
Cookie cutter
Cool as a cucumber
Cool Britannia
Cop an attitude
Copper-bottomed
Cor blimey
Cordon bleu
Cost an arm and a leg
Cotton on to
Cotton-picking
Countenance more in sorrow than in anger - A
Counting sheep
Course of true love never did run smooth - The
Crack of doom - The
Crackpot
Crapper - The
Crop up
Crocodile tears
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war
Curate's egg
Curiosity killed the cat
Curry favour
Customer is always right - The
Cut and run
Cut of your jib - The
Cut off without a penny
Cut off your nose to spite your face
Cut the mustard
Cut to the chase
Cute as a bug's ear

'A fool and his money are soon parted' proverb with origin and meaning

Origin

This is quite an early proverb in the English language and, as such, might be thought to contain the wisdom of the ancients. The notion was known by the late 16th century, when it was expressed in rhyme by Thomas Tusser in Five Hundreth Pointes of Good Husbandrie, 1573:

A foole & his money,
be soone at debate:
which after with sorow,
repents him to late.

Meaning

Literal meaning.

'A fish rots from the head down' proverb with origin and meaning

Origin

This proverb is of ancient origin but precisely which of the ancients coined it is probably beyond our ken at this distant remove.

Many countries lay claim to it. I've seen sources that place it in China, Russia, Poland, England, Greece and so on..., but usually with no evidence to substantiate those claims. A correspondent of mine has asserted that it was written in a Greek text by Erasmus, who died in 1546. That may be the case, but I've not been able to substantiate that claim.

Meaning

When an organization or state fails, it is the leadership that is the root cause.

'A drowning man will clutch at a straw' proverb with origin and meaning

Origin

It is only since the mid-19th century that we have been clutching at straws. Even more recently, the 'grasp at straws' version has become commonplace, especially in the USA. Prior to that, desperate people would 'catch at a straw'. That usage of 'catch' was commonly used in mediaeval England, by which was meant 'obtain/achieve'; for example, John Wycliffe used it in his 1382 translation of the Bible into English, in 1 Timothy 6:12:

By the 17th century, in the King James Version, this had migrated to:

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life

Our present day ambitions are more prosaic and we only use that sense of 'catch' now to catch trains, buses and, occasionally, colds.

A man in peril of drowning catchest whatsoever cometh next to hand... be it never so simple a stick.

More used the imagery on several occasions, but didn't mention straw in any of them. The 'catch at a straw' version of the proverb is first recorded in the English cleric John Prime's Fruitful and Brief Discourse, 1583:

We do not as men redie to be drowned, catch at euery straw.

The metaphor expresses futility rather well. Straws do float, but a drowning man would have to be pretty much out of other ideas if he put any reliance on it bearing his weight.

Moving on to the 19th century, 'catch' has fallen from favour and we find an early mention of the current 'clutch at straws' version in The New-York Mirror, 1832

A straw was chosen as the height of futility as a means of rescue. Being, as it was, a flimsy and virtually valueless waste product, it was often used as a synonym for the most unimportant and trifling of objects. 'Don't give/care a straw' was an indication of indifference, a 'man of straw' was an insubstantial adversary, and to 'condemn someone to straw' was to declare them ready for the madhouse.

'To clutch at straws' is now used as a figurative phrase, to describe any desperate situation. When the expression was coined it specifically referred to drowning. The notion of a drowning man anxiously seeking 'any port in a storm' was first expressed by Sir Thomas More, in A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation, 1534:

Meaning

Try any route to get out of a desperate situation, no matter how unlikely it is to succeed.

'A dog is a man's best friend' proverb with origin and meaning

Origin

A dog is a man's best friend? Well, if the animal's popularity is anything to go by, perhaps that's true; according to the American Kennel Club, there are more pet dogs in the USA than there are people in Britain. However, the affection in which dogs are held by many these days is a fairly recent development. How we used to think about dogs can be judged by looking at how they have been portrayed in language over the centuries.

The first linguistic oddity to do with dogs concerns where the word 'dog' came from. The name was preceded by the perfectly good Anglo-Saxon word 'hound', which was also used in other European languages. 'Dog', in common with several other animal names ending in 'g', like frog, hog, pig and stag, seems to have been coined around the 13th century for reasons that no one is at all sure about.

Meaning

An animal that performs valuable service to humans, often with reference to dogs.

'A chain is only as strong as its weakest link' proverb with origin and meaning

Origin

We are most likely these days to come across the phrase 'the weakest link' in reference to the popular TV quiz show of that name, which originated in the UK, hosted by Anne Robinson, and was later syndicated for use in many other countries.

The show, which relies on the demonstration of the abysmal lack of general knowledge by many of the participating contestants, is an example of the many 'humiliation television' shows of the early 21st century and is a sad spectacle.

Meaning

The proverb has a literal meaning, although the 'weakest link' referred to is figurative and usually applies to a person or technical feature rather than the link of an actual chain.

'A cat may look at a king' proverb origin and meaning

Origin

The origin of this proverb is unknown. What is known is that it is found first in print in a famous early collection of English proverbs, The Proverbs And Epigrams Of John Heywood, 1562: Some hear and see him whom he heareth nor seeth not But fields have eyes and woods have ears, ye wot And also on my maids he is ever tooting. Can ye judge a man, (quoth I), by his looking? What, a cat may look on a king, ye know! My cat's leering look, (quoth she), at first show, Showeth me that my cat goeth a caterwauling; And specially by his manner of drawing To Madge, my fair maid. 

Meaning

An inferior isn't completely restricted in what they may do in the presence of a superior.

'A' Alphabetical Order Proverbs-List of most of the Commonly Use

A cat may look at a king
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
A change is as good as a rest
A dog is a man's best friend
A drowning man will clutch at a straw
A fish always rots from the head down
A fool and his money are soon parted
A friend in need is a friend indeed
A golden key can open any door
A good beginning makes a good ending
A good man is hard to find
A house divided against itself cannot stand
A house is not a home
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
A leopard cannot change its spots
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
A little learning is a dangerous thing
A little of what you fancy does you good
A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client
A miss is as good as a mile
A new broom sweeps clean
A nod's as good as a wink to a blind horse
A penny saved is a penny earned
A person is known by the company he keeps
A picture paints a thousand words
A place for everything and everything in its place
A poor workman always blames his tools
A problem shared is a problem halved
A prophet is not recognized in his own land
A rising tide lifts all boats
A rolling stone gathers no moss
A soft answer turneth away wrath
A stitch in time saves nine
A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
A trouble shared is a trouble halved
A volunteer is worth twenty pressed men
A watched pot never boils
A woman's place is in the home
A woman's work is never done
A word to the wise is enough
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Accidents will happen (in the best-regulated families).
Actions speak louder than words
Adversity makes strange bedfellows
After a storm comes a calm
All good things come to he who waits
All good things must come to an end
All is grist that comes to the mill
All publicity is good publicity
All roads lead to Rome
All that glisters is not gold
All that glitters is not gold
All the world loves a lover
All things come to those who wait
All things must pass
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All you need is love
All's fair in love and war
All's for the best in the best of all possible worlds
All's well that ends well
A miss is as good as a mile
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
An army marches on its stomach
An Englishman's home is his castle
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Another day, another dollar
Any port in a storm
April showers bring forth May flowers
As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it
As you sow so shall you reap
Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer
Ask no questions and hear no lies
Attack is the best form of defence

Blog telling all proverb which is a short well-known expression that states a general truth or gives advice with their meanings and origins.

Find out all proverbs with their meaning from every nations as much as I can gather them from any sources and write them just right here at this blog. For more easier, all proverbs have been being categorised by alphabet order A-Z.

Also, if each one is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity.

They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim. If a proverb is distinguished by particularly good phrasing, it may be known as an aphorism.

Proverbs are often borrowed from similar languages and cultures, and sometimes come down to the present through more than one language. Both the Bible (including, but not limited to the Book of Proverbs) and medieval Latin (aided by the work of Erasmus) have played a considerable role in distributing proverbs across Europe, although almost every culture has examples of its own.