—used to say that one is about to give someone advice or a warning
A word to the wise: never sign a contract without reading it first.
Dictionary Entries Near a word to the wise
Cite this Entry
“A word to the wise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20word%20to%20the%20wise. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.
Share
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
Merriam-Webster unabridged
a word to the wise
A phrase that emphasizes a statement as advice. It is a shortening of the phrase «a word to the wise is sufficient,» meaning that a wise or intelligent person can take a hint and does not need a long explanation. A word to the wise—don’t use Amy’s baby shower as an opportunity to announce your engagement. Stay away from the boss today, he’s in a bad mood. Just a word to the wise. A word to the wise—don’t bother trying to sneak out. Mom and Dad will catch you every time. Take it from someone who was grounded a lot!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
word to the wise (is enough).
and A word to the wise is sufficient.
Prov. You only have to hint something to wise people in order to get them to understand it.; Wise people do not need long explanations. (Often used to signal that you are hinting something.) John’s a pleasant man, but I wouldn’t trust him with money. A word to the wise, eh? Donna hinted about Lisa’s drinking problem to Lisa’s fiancé, hoping that a word to the wise would be enough.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
word to the wise, a
This is good advice; you would do well to heed this. Several Roman writers put good advice in just this way, saying, “A word to the wise is enough” (Plautus, Terence). Ben Jonson used it in his play The Case Is Altered (ca. 1600): “Go to, a word to the wise.” A somewhat more recent equivalent, also a cliché, is words of wisdom.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
- a word to the wise
- but for the grace of God
- (as) sure as eggs (is eggs)
- a penny for them
- a/one beer short of a six-pack
- one egg short of an omelet
- sixpack
- great minds
- great minds think alike
- be twiddling your thumbs
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Contents
- 1 English
- 1.1 Etymology
- 1.2 Pronunciation
- 1.3 Noun
- 1.4 Adverb
- 1.4.1 Translations
- 1.4.2 See also
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From a longer saying: «A word to the wise is sufficient».
Pronunciation[edit]
-
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun[edit]
word to the wise (plural words to the wise)
- (idiomatic) A brief piece of advice.
Adverb[edit]
word to the wise
- (idiomatic) Used to emphasis following as a piece of significant advice.
- Well have fun, but, word to the wise, don’t let your sister take control.
Translations[edit]
idiomatic
- Czech: moudrému napověz, chytrému napověz
- Finnish: pieni neuvo
- French: à bon entendeur salut (fr)
- German: wenn ich dir einen Rat geben darf
- Greek: ο νοών νοείτω (o noón noeíto)
- Italian: a buon intenditor poche parole
- Spanish: un consejo, a buen entendedor, pocas palabras bastan (es)
See also[edit]
- a nod is as good as a wink
- verbum sat or sapienti sat
Retrieved from «https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=word_to_the_wise&oldid=70961853»
Categories:
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English multiword terms
- English idioms
- English adverbs
- a word to the wise
-
посл.
≈ умный понимает с полуслова verbum (sat) sapienti]
A word to the wise, George. After you’re in, see as much of him as you feel like, but take my advice. (J. O’Hara, ‘The Lockwood Concern’, book I) — Ты человек умный, Джордж, и тебе много объяснять не надо. Можешь встречаться с О’Бирном сколько угодно, но только после того, как станешь членом клуба. Послушай моего совета.
Большой англо-русский фразеологический словарь. — М.: «Русский язык-Медиа»..
2006.
Смотреть что такое «a word to the wise» в других словарях:
-
word to the wise — {n. phr.} A word of warning or advice which the intelligent person is expected to follow. A proverb. * /I had once spoken to him about being late all the time, and thought that a word to the wise was enough./ … Dictionary of American idioms
-
word to the wise — {n. phr.} A word of warning or advice which the intelligent person is expected to follow. A proverb. * /I had once spoken to him about being late all the time, and thought that a word to the wise was enough./ … Dictionary of American idioms
-
word to the wise — n. phr. proverb A word of warning or advice which the intelligent person is expected to follow. I had once spoken to him about being late all the time, and thought that a word to the wise was enough … Словарь американских идиом
-
word to the wise — a warning or threat There is a suggestion that it would be unwise to ignore the message: When questions of the legitimacy of the Zogoiby children began to be hinted at… the editors of all the major newspapers… had a word to the wise … How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms
-
word to the wise — See a word to the wise … English idioms
-
A Word from the Wise — Infobox Album | Name = A Word from the Wise Type = EP Artist = Pennywise Released = 1989 Recorded = 1989 Genre = Punk Length = 11:10 Label = Theologian Records Producer = ??? Reviews = Last album = Wildcard (EP) (1989) This album = A Word from… … Wikipedia
-
a word to the wise — a hint or brief explanation given, that being all that is required * * * a word to the wise see ↑word, 1 • • • Main Entry: ↑wise a word to the wise used to say that you are about to give someone advice or a warning A word to the wise: never sign… … Useful english dictionary
-
(a) word to the wise. — A word to the wise (is sufficient). something that you say when you are going to give someone some advice. A word to the wise if you re going to drive, don t go on a Friday night until after the rush hour traffic … New idioms dictionary
-
a word to the wise is enough — Now often abbreviated to a word to the wise. Cf. L. verbum sat sapienti, a word is sufficient to a wise man; also verb. sap. a 1513 DUNBAR Poems (1979) 206 Few wordis may serve the wyis. 1546 J. HEYWOOD Dialogue of Proverbs II. vii. 14v Fewe… … Proverbs new dictionary
-
Wildcard/A Word from the ‘Wise — Infobox Album | Name = Wildcard/A Word from the Wise Type = Compilation album Artist = Pennywise | Released = 1992 Recorded = 1989 Genre = Punk Length = 18:41 Label = Theologian Records Producer = Pennywise Reviews = *Allmusic (2/5)… … Wikipedia
-
(a) word to the wise is sufficient. — A word to the wise (is sufficient). something that you say when you are going to give someone some advice. A word to the wise if you re going to drive, don t go on a Friday night until after the rush hour traffic … New idioms dictionary
Meaning of Idiom ‘A Word to the Wise’
A word to the wise expresses the intention to give a brief bit of advice or a quick explanation that an intelligent person should find sufficient without more details. It can be thought of as a ‘hint.’ 1Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.,2Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
Want to see more videos from Idioms.Online? Subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Usage
This idiom may simply be used to introduce a piece of advice, but it usually conveys a more subtle intention, such as to say “I’ll just tell you what you absolutely need to know and you are smart or savvy enough to draw your own conclusions and act accordingly.” Although the statement may be more than one word, the idiom is usually spoken as a stand-alone expression introducing a very short utterance.
Examples Of Use
“A word to the wise, the boss is in a wicked mood today.”
“A word to the wise,” said the travel agent, “drink bottled water.”
Origin
This idiom is the shortened English equivalent of an ancient Latin expression, verbum sapienti sat est meaning “a word to the wise is enough.” 3Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
It has been used in English since the mid-1500’s. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
More Idioms Starting with W
More Latin Related Idioms
More ‘Wise’ Idioms
More ‘Word’ Idioms
This page contains one or more affiliate links. See full affiliate disclosure.