Word phrases or sayings

WG — two-facet
LU comprising more than one word, which is observed on the
syntagmatic level of analysis of how words are joined together to
make up single self-contained LU.

PU —
non-motivated or partially motivated word-groups that cannot be
freely made up in speech but are reproduced as ready-made units;
stability of the lex. components and gr. str..

Components of FWG
which may vary according to the needs of communication, member-words
of PU are always reproduced as single unchangeable collocations.
E.g., red
flower
‘the flower of a certain colour’ (adj. can be substituted), red
tape
‘official bureaucratic methods’ (adj. can’t be substituted).

Grammatical
structure of PU is to a certain degree also stable: red
tape
— PU, red
tapes
— FWG.

PU vs. FWG:

• semantics:
  FWG — lexically motivated (the combined lexical meaning of the group
  is deducible from the meanings of its components); PU — non- or
  partially motivated;

• scope of
  valency:
  FWG — high variability, restricted only by lexical or grammatical
  valence; PU — either invariable or the changes in the components are
  very limited;

• degree of
  spontaneity:
  FWG are spontaneously formed in speech, PU are reproduced as
  ready-made elements.

FWG demotivation:

— member of FWG →
archaic → fully or partly non-motivated (to and fro);

— meaning disappear and can be found
only in certain collocations (to have a mind to do smth ‘to have a
purpose’);

— professional → literary usage
(puppet theatre: to pull the strings/wires);

— part of a proverb or saying (new
brooms sweep clean), quotation (the green-eyed monster).

Proverbs
express
national wisdom; instructive and didactic sentences with a
traditional and mostly figurative meaning (metaphoric meaning): The
proof of the pudding is in the eating. A bird in the hand is worth
two in the bush.

They have much in common with PU due
to the stability of their components and ready-made reproduction in
speech. They can be separated for the purpose of irony.

Saying
is a short phrase in direct way: All’s
well that ends well.

Familiar
quotations
have a literary character and constitute the cultural treasure of the
language testifying to the richness of one’s background knowledge,
especially those from classical sources, Shakespeare, Pope. Sometimes
we may preserve the original form: To
be or not to be — that is the question, O tempora, o mores! Cherchez
la femme!

Clichés
are quotations which became habitual and lost their original
expressiveness: the
irony of fate, to break the ice.
Cliches
— word-combinations that are used very often together and
reproduced together esp. in newspaper style (ladies
and gentlemen).

33. Different classifications of phraseological units (according to the degree of motivation, structural mobility, semantic, structural, part of speech).

Phraseological
units —
non- or partially motivated word-groups that cannot be freely made up
in speech but are reproduced as ready-made units (word-groups that
exist in the language as ready-made units).

L.P. Smith
(1925):

— conjunction of
similar ideas (fear
and trembling);

— opposed ideas
(more
or less);

— alliteration
(rack
and ruin);

— rhymed (fair
and square);

— repetition
(more
and more);

— comparisons showing popular
beliefs or prejudices;

— common experiences.

Semantic (Vinogradov):

• fusions
  — completely non-motivated word-groups (as
  mad as a hatter
  – “utterly mad”; white
  elephant
  – “an expensive but useless thing”);

• unities
  — partially non-motivated, meaning can be perceived thru the metaph.
  mean. of the whole PU (to
  bend the knee
  ‘to obey submissively’; to
  wash one’s dirty linen in public
  ‘to discuss or make public one’s quarrels’);

• collocations
  — motivated, one component — its direct meaning, the other — metaph.
  (to
  meet the requirements, to attain success);
  some substitutions are possible — don’t destroy the meaning of the
  metaphoric element (to
  meet the needs, demand, necessity).
  

Degree
of motivation:

—
opaque idioms — high idiomaticity (on
cloud nine)

—
semi opaque (to
pass the buck
‘responsibility’)

—
transparent — figurative m. of literary senses (to
see the light)

Structural mobility (Nunberg,
Sag, Wasow):

• idiomatically
  combining expressions
  – allow syntactic mobility of the components; can be put them
  apart in the sentence (lex. substitutions, diff. pronouns);

• idiomatic
  phrases
  – do not allow modifications (kick
  the bucket ‘die’,
  no passive: *My
  head was talked off).
  

Structural classification
(Smirnitsky):

• one-top
  (one root morpheme) units:

a) units
of the type
to give up
(verb + postposition): to
art up, to back up, to drop out, to nose out, to buy into, to
sandwich in, etc.;

b)
units of the type
to be tired
(remind
the passive voice in their structure but they have different
prepositions with them, while in the PV only prepositions «by» or
«with» are): to
be tired of, to be interested in, to be surprised at etc.

c)
prepositional-nominal
phraseological units (equivalents of prepositions, conjunctions,
adverbs): in
the course of = during, on the nose = exactly.

• two-top
  units (two root morphemes):

a)
attributive-nominal:
a
month of Sundays, grey matter;
noun equivalents and can be partly or perfectly idiomatic; in partly
idiomatic units (phrasisms) sometimes the first component is
idiomatic, (high
road),
in other cases the second component (first
night)
or both components are idiomatic (red
tape, blind alley, bed of nail, shot in the arm);

b)
verbal-nominal:
to
read between the lines;
the grammar centre — verb, the semantic centre — nominal comp. (to
fall in love);
can be perfectly idiomatic as well: to
burn one’s boats, to vote with one’s feet, to take to the
cleaners’,
etc.;

c) phraseological
repetition/reiteration:
now
or never;
can be built on antonyms (back
and forth);
often formed by means of alliteration (as
busy as a bee);
equivalents of adv. or adj. and have no grammar centre; partly or
perfectly idiomatic (cool
as a cucumber —
partly),
bread and butter —
perfectly).

Structural classification:

• fixed

  • fixed
    regular —
    can’t be varied on the grammatical level;

  • fixed
    irregular
    — can be varied on the grammatical level (to
    have a bee in one’s bonnet —
    she has.., I have…);

• variable —
  can be varied on the lexical level (to
  add fuel to the fire/flame,
  to
  mind one’s (own) business);

• dialectal
  (BrE:
  to
  have a skeleton in the cupboard;
  AmE: to
  have a skeleton in the closet).

Part of speech (Arnold)

• nouns denoting
  an object, a person (bullet
  train);

• verbs denoting
  an action, a state, a feeling (to
  break the logjam);

• adjectives
  denoting a quality (loose
  as a goose);

• adverbs (in
  the soup);

• prepositions (in
  the course of);

• interjections (Catch
  me!).

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Еvеry culture hаs а cоllеctiоn оf wisе sаyings thаt оffеr аdvicе аbоut hоw to livе yоur lifе.

Thеsе sаyings аrе cаllеd «prоvеrbs». Pоvеrbs hаvе bееn cоnsidеrеd thе flоwеrs оf pоpulаr wit аnd thе trеаsurеs оf pоpulаr wisdоm.

Below is the list of common English proverbs and sayings along with their meanings

A drowning man will clutch at a straw   Meaning: in desperate situation people use any chance, even if it is hopeless, to get themselves out of it

A good beginning makes a good end  Meaning: If a task is carefully planned, there’s a better chance that it will be done well

A good mind possesses a kingdom  Meaning: Material assets are fleeting, but intellectual assets will basically stay with you for the rest of your life

A good name is the best of all treasures  Meaning: Your good reputation is worth more than money

A friend’s eye is a good mirror  Meaning: A real friend will tell you the truth

A fool and his money are soon parted  Meaning: Stupid people spend their money carelessly and soon become poor

A fool at forty is a fool forever  Meaning: If a person hasn’t matured by the age of 40, they never will

The apple never falls far from the tree  Meaning: Children are in many regards like their parents

Advisers run no risks  Meaning: It is easy to give advice, but hard to act

All’s fair in love and war  Meaning: Nothing is out of bounds when it comes to love and war

All are not friends that speak us fair  Meaning: Someone says nice things about you doesn’t mean that they are your friend or that they even like you

All hat and no cattle  Meaning: All talk and appearance and little or no substance

All roads lead to Rome – Meaning: There are many different routes to the same goal

All things come to those who wait  Meaning: A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy  Meaning: Be sure to take breaks from work and do something entertaining

An army marches on its stomach  Meaning: An army needs a regular supply of food in order to keep on fighting

March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers  Meaning: Sometimes unpleasant things are required to bring good things

As you make your bed, so you must lie in it  Meaning: You have to suffer the consequences of what you do

A hedge between keeps friends green  Meaning: Your friendship will flourish if you and your friend respect each other’s privacy

Actions speak louder than words  Meaning: What one does is more important than what one says

A friend in need is a friend indeed  Meaning: A friend is never known till a man has need

A leopard cannot change its spots  Meaning: It is not possible for a bad or unpleasant person to become good 

All cats love fish but hate to get their paws wet  Meaning: a person who is keen to obtain something of value, but who is not bold enough to make the necessary effort or to take the risk

All good things must come to an end  Meaning: All experiences, even pleasant ones, eventually end

All’s well that ends well  Meaning: An event that has a good ending is good even if some things went wrong along the way

All that glitters is not gold  Meaning: Not everything that looks precious or true turns out to be so

An apple a day keeps the doctor away  Meaning: Apples are so nutritious that if you eat an apple every day, you will not ever need to go to a doctor

A loaded wagon makes no noise  Meaning: People with real wealth don’t talk about it

A man is known by the company he keeps  Meaning: A person’s character is judged by the type of people with whom they spend their time

A new broom sweeps clean  Meaning: A newly-appointed person makes changes energetically

A rotten apple injures its companions /A rotten apple spoils the barrel  Meaning: A dishonest or immoral person can have a bad influence on a group

A stitch in time saves nine  Meaning: It’s better to deal with a problem at an early stage, to prevent it from getting worse

A stumble may prevent a fall  Meaning: Correcting a small mistake may help you to avoid making a bigger one

A tree is known by its fruit  Meaning: A man is judged by his actions

A young idler, an old beggar  Meaning: If you don’t work, you won’t have any money when you’re old

As fit as a fiddle  Meaning: Very fit and well

Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies  Meaning: There are subjects I’d rather not discuss

Aught for naught, and a penny change  Meaning: You can’t get something for nothing — you might as well expect to get paid to take it

Bad news travels fast  Meaning: Information about trouble or misfortune disseminates quickly

A bad penny always turns up  Meaning: An unpopular person will always return to the place he came from

Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow  Meaning: It is better to have a sure thing now than a possibility of more later

Better be the head of a dog then the tail of a lion  Meaning: It’s better to be the leader of a small group than a subordinate in a bigger one

Better is the enemy of good  Meaning: The aim for perfection or mastery might be in the way of progress

Better late than never  Meaning: Doing something late is better than not doing it

Better lose the saddle than the horse  Meaning: It’s better to stop and accept a small loss, rather than continue and risk losing everything

Better safe than sorry  Meaning: You should be cautious—if you are not, you may regret it

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts  Meaning: Don’t trust your enemies

Birds of a feather flock together  Meaning: People with important similarities seek out one another’s company, often to the exclusion of others

Bitter pills may have blessed effects  Meaning: The remedy might be bitter, but the cure might be wonderful

Blood is thicker than water  Meaning: Family ties are always more important than the ties you make among friends

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder  Meaning: Different people have different ideas about what is beautiful

A bad workman blames his tools  Meaning: someone blames the objects they are using for their own mistakes

Barking dogs seldom bite  Meaning: A person who often threatens rarely carries out his threats

Beggars can’t be choosers  Meaning: If you are in a bad situation or do not have much to offer you must be content with whatever help you can get

Better to be alone than in bad company  Meaning: Be careful in the choice of the people you associate with

Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t  Meaning: It is often better to deal with someone or something you are familiar with and know, even if they are not ideal, than someone new

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush  Meaning: It is better to keep what you have than to risk losing it by trying to get something better

A blow with a word strikes deeper than a blow with a sword  Meaning: The pen is mightier than the sword

Bloom where you are planted  Meaning: It is often better to escalate your commitment rather than starting over with something new

Born with a silver spoon in his/her mouth  Meaning: Born in a rich family

Boys will be boys  Meaning: Boys are traditionally expected to misbehave, while girls are not

A broken watch is right two times a day  Meaning: A person who is wrong will eventually be right about something

A burnt child dreads the fire  Meaning: You will avoid an activity which has given you a bad experience for the rest of your life

By hook or by crook  Meaning: A thing to be achieved will be done in a straightforward way, but if it cannot, then it will be achieved by any means necessary

The calm comes before the storm  Meaning: Turbulent times wait just around the corner when it is calm

A cat has nine lives  Meaning: Cats can survive many accidents

A cat may look at a king  Meaning: Everyone has the right to be curious about important people

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link  Meaning: A group is not stronger than its weakest member

Clothes don’t make the man  Meaning: Appearances can be deceiving

Constant occupation prevents temptation  Meaning: When you work you avoid temptation

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t  Meaning: Refers to a situation where both possibilities will lead to harm or blame

Dead men tell no tales  Meaning: A dead person cannot cause difficulties by revealing something 

Desperate times call for desperate measures  Meaning: In adverse circumstances actions that might have been rejected under other circumstances may become the best choice

Different strokes for different folks  Meaning: Different things suit different people

Diligence is the mother of good fortune — Meaning: Hard work brings rewards

Distance makes the heart grow fonder  Meaning: When you are separated from the person you love, your feelings are even stronger

Don’t bark if you can’t bite  Meaning: Don’t do things you haven’t got the competence for

Don’t bite off more than you can chew   Meaning: To try to do more than you are able to do

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you  Meaning: To treat someone badly who has helped you in some way

Don’t burn the candle at both ends  Meaning: Don’t work early in the morning and late into the evening as well

Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched  Meaning: You should not count on something before it happens

Don’t cross a bridge before you come to it  Meaning: Focus on a problem the moment you are facing it, and not earlier

Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face  Meaning: Do not take action to spite others that will harm you more than them

Don’t fall before you’re pushed  Meaning: Don’t give up in the face of adversity

Don’t have too many irons in the fire  Meaning: To be doing too many things at once

Don’t judge a book by its cover  Meaning: Don’t judge by appearances

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth  Meaning: Never criticize gifts

Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill  Meaning: Don’t make a big deal out of a little thing

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you  Meaning: One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket  Meaning: Meaning: Do not rest all your hopes on one eventuality; plan for several cases

Don’t put the cart before the horse  Meaning: Do not do things in the wrong order

Don’t spit into the wind  Meaning: Don’t take actions which you know will harm yourself or be futile

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater  Meaning: Don’t reject an idea entirely because parts of it are bad

Easier said than done  Meaning: What is suggested sounds easy but it is more difficult to actually do it

Eyes are bigger than your belly  Meaning: Think you can eat more than you can

The early bird catches the worm  Meaning: Those who starts working early in the morning will get much done

An Englishman’s home is his castle  Meaning: There is no place like home

Every cloud has a silver lining  Meaning: There is nothing bad that does not bring about something good

Every man has his price  Meaning: Everyone’s loyalty can be bought for a price

Every rose has its thorn  Meaning: No one is perfect

The exception proves the rule  Meaning: Something that does not follow a rule shows that the rule exists

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise — Meaning: Going to bed early and waking up early is good for success

Easy come, easy go  Meaning: When you get money quickly, it’s easy to spend it or lose it quickly as well

The ends justify the means  Meaning: You can use bad or immoral methods as long as you accomplish something good by using them

Every dog has its day  Meaning: Everyone gets their chance eventually

Experience is the father of wisdom  Meaning: Experience and knowledge result in better judgement

Failure is the stepping stone for success  Meaning: Failing will make you more determined to succeed the next time you try

Fine words butter no parsnips  Meaning: No amount of talking can replace action

First come, first served  Meaning: Is a service policy whereby the requests of customers or clients are attended to in the order that they arrived

First things first  Meaning: The most important and most urgent worries should be taken care of first

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me  Meaning: One should learn from one’s mistakes

Forewarned is forearmed  Meaning: Those who know that something is coming are better prepared to face itthan those who do not know

Forgive, but don’t forget  Meaning: Let things go and pass, but don’t forget what they were

Fortune favours the bold  Meaning: People who bravely go after what they want are more successful than people who try to live safely

Fretting cares make grey hairs  Meaning: Worrying can age you prematurely

The grass is always greener on the other side  Meaning: You will always want what you don’t have

Grasp all, lose all   Meaning: Trying to get everything will often result in not gaining anything

God helps those who help themselves  Meaning: Don’t just wait for good things to happen to you, work hard to achieve your goals

Good things come to those who wait  Meaning: Be patient and eventually something good will happen to you

Good and quickly seldom meet  Meaning: A well-done job takes time

Green leaves and brown leaves fall from the same tree  Meaning: If you are good at one aspect of a skill, you should be skilled at the other aspects

Half a loaf is better than none  Meaning: You should be grateful for something, even if it’s not as much as you wanted

Hard words break no bones  Meaning: It is often good to tell someone a harsh truth

Haste makes waste  Meaning: You do not save any time by working too fast

Hawks will not pick out Hawk’s eyes  Meaning: One belonging to a group having common interests is not likely to act against or find fault with another

The head and feet keep warm, the rest will take no harm  Meaning: If you take care of the important matters, everything else will fall into place

He laughs best who laughs last  Meaning: He who wins in the end wins

He who dares wins  is a Latin aphorism, is a motto made popular by the British Special Air Service

Health is wealth  Meaning: The loss of health is loss of all happiness

He who plays with fire gets burnt  Meaning: If you behave in a risky way, you are likely to have problems

He who hesitates is lost  Meaning: The person who waits too long loses the opportunity

He who wills the end wills the means  Meaning: If you are determined to do something you will find a way

Handsome is what handsome does  Meaning: Behaviour is more important than looks

Honesty is the best policy  Meaning: It’s always better to be honest

Honey catches more flies than vinegar  Meaning: You can obtain more cooperation from others by being nice

Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst  Meaning: Bad things might happen, so be prepared

However long the night, the dawn will break — Meaning: Bad things don’t last forever

If a camel gets his nose in a tent, his body will follow  Meaning: If you let something intrusive enter your life, your life will become difficult

If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one  Meaning: If you try to do two things at the same time, you won’t succeed in doing either of them

If you want a thing done right, do it yourself  Meaning: You cannot rely on other people to do things properly for you

Ignorance is bliss  Meaning: Not knowing something is often more comfortable than knowing it

In for a penny, in for a pound  Meaning: Commitment will often escalate

In one ear and out the other  Meaning: Heard but not remembered

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king  Meaning: If surrounded by people less capable, someone who would not normally be considered special can shine

In times of prosperity friends are plentiful  Meaning: You have many friends when you have no difficulties

It never rains but it pours  Meaning: Misfortunes usually come in large numbers

It takes both rain and sunshine to make rainbows  Meaning: It takes good and bad to make good things in the future, or make them stand out

It’s a long lane that has no turning  Meaning: Bad times won’t last for long

It’s always darkest before the dawn  Meaning: There is hope, even in the worst of circumstances

It’s an ill wind that blows no good  Meaning: There is nothing bad that does not bring about something good

It’s easy to be wise after the event  Meaning: It is easy to understand what you could have done to prevent something bad from happening after it has happened

It’s never too late to mend  Meaning: It is never too late to apologize for something you have done wrong

It’s no use crying over spilt milk  Meaning: It is not useful feeling sorry about something that has already happened

Justice delayed is justice denied — Meaning: If the law is applied too late, there is no justice

Kill the goose that lays the golden egg  Meaning: Destroy something that would be a source of wealth

Kindness begets kindness  Meaning: If you are kind to people, they will be kind to you

Knowledge is power — is a Latin aphorism

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer  Meaning: If you have an enemy, pretend to be friends with them instead of openly fighting with them

Least said sooner mended  Meaning: A bad event can more easily be forgotten if you do not talk about it

Let sleeping dogs lie  Meaning: Leave something alone if it might cause trouble

Let the cobbler stick to his last  Meaning: Don’t talk about things you don’t know anything about

Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas  Meaning: You will become like your company

Lightning never strikes twice in the same place  Meaning: The same misfortune won’t happen to a person twice

Life is what you make of it  Meaning: Nothing’s going to change unless you do something about it

Like cures like  Meaning: A person can better help another if they have something in common

Little by little and bit by bit  Meaning: Do things slowly and carefully

Live and let live  Meaning: Let others do whatever they want as long as it does not hurt anyone

The longest mile is the last mile home  Meaning: It is always the end of something that feels the most difficult

Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves  Meaning: Save every penny you can and it will build up into a significant amount of money

Look before you leap  Meaning: Think before you act

Loose lips sink ships  Meaning: Disclosing important information could result in large losses

Love is blind  Meaning: If you love someone, you cannot see any faults in that person

Man proposes but God disposes  Meaning: Things often don’t turn out as you have planned

Manners make the man  Meaning: A person’s manners show their origins

Many hands make light work  Meaning: Sharing work makes work easier

Many a mickle makes a muckle  Meaning: Many small parts will eventually creat something impressive

Marry in haste, and repent at leisure  Meaning: If you marry someone you do not know well,you will regret it for a long time

Measure twice, cut once  Meaning: Think before you act

Misery loves company  Meaning: Unhappy people like other people to be unhappy too

Misfortunes never come singly  Meaning: Bad things tend to happen in groups

A miss by an inch is a miss by a mile  Meaning: A miss is a miss regardless the distance

Missing the wood for the trees  Meaning: While tending to every detail you might miss out the big picture

Money cannot buy happiness  Meaning: Wealthy people have their own set of concerns

Money is the root of all evil — Meaning: Money is the main cause of wrongdoing and problems

Monkey see, monkey do — Meaning: People will do like others without thinking

More haste, less speed  Meaning: Hurry, but work slowly to make sure what you attend to gets done properly

Need teaches a plan  Meaning: Necessity will make you find a solution

Never cast a clout till May be out  Meaning: Don’t discard your winter clothing until May is over

Never put off till (until) tomorrow what you can do today  Meaning: You should not delay doing something if you can do it immediately

Never say never  Meaning: Nothing is impossible, anything can happen

Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you  Meaning: Stay out of trouble, but be prepared in case you become troubled

A new broom sweeps clean  Meaning: Newcomers are the most ambitious

No man is an island  Meaning: Everyone needs help from other people

No man can serve two masters  Meaning: It’s impossible to follow instructions from two different sources

No pain, no gain  Meaning: If you want to improve, you must work so hard that it hurts

No news is good news  Meaning: someone feel less worried when they have not received information about something, because if something bad had happened, they would have been told about it

No time like the present  Meaning: Don’t spend time regretting past actions or worrying about the future

Nothing succeeds like success  Meaning: If you have succeeded in the past, you will continue to be successful in the future

Nothing ventured, nothing gained  Meaning: You cannot expect to achieve anything if you don’t take risks

An old dog will learn no tricks  Meaning: It is impossible to change people’s habits or traits 

One good turn deserves another  Meaning: Treat someone good who has been treating you good

One man’s meat is another man’s poison — Meaning: People don’t always like the same things

One rotten apple will spoil the whole barrel  Meaning: One bad person can influence many others to behave in a bad way

One today is worth two tomorrow  Meaning: What you have today is better than what is hoped for

One swallow doesn’t make a summer — Meaning: A single satisfactory event does not mean that all the others will be as good

Once bitten, twice shy  Meaning: When something has hurt you once, you tend to avoid that thing 

Opportunity knocks only once  Meaning: You will only have one chance to do something important 

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings  Meaning: Children often speak wisely

Out of sight… Out of mind  Meaning: You will not see a thing which is out of your sight

Penny wise, pound foolish  Meaning: A person who is careful about spending small amounts of money, but not careful about spending large amounts of money

A penny saved is a penny earned  Meaning: Money that you save is more valuable than money that you spend right away

People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones at another  Meaning: You should not criticize other people for having the same faults that you yourself have

Practice before you preach Meaning: Before asking others to do something, make sure you are following it yourself

Practice makes perfect  Meaning: You have to practice a skill a lot to become good at it

Prevention is better than cure — Meaning: It is best to be proactive

Pride comes before a fall  Meaning: Don’t be too self-confident; something may happen to make you look foolish

The proof of the pudding is in the eating  Meaning: You will not really learn about something unless you test it

Put a beggar on horseback and he’ll ride it to death  Meaning: If you get rich suddenly you will spend a lot of money

Revenge is sweet  Meaning: There is satisfaction in returning an injury

Rome wasn’t built in a day  Meaning: It takes time to create something impressive

Seeing is believing — Meaning: You believe in something when it is confirmed by concrete evidence

Silence gives consent  Meaning: If you don’t object to something it can be assumed that you agree with it

Silence is golden  Meaning: sometimes it is better not to say anything

Simple minds think alike  Meaning: Simple things amuse simple minds

Some days you get the bear, other days the bear gets you  Meaning: Some days you win, and some days you lose

The squeaky wheel gets the grease  Meaning: A person that complains about a service often gets much

Spare the rod and spoil the child  Meaning: If you don’t punish a child when he does wrong, you will spoil his character

Still waters run deep  Meaning: Taciturn people have the most interesting things to say

Stolen fruit is the sweetest  Meaning: Forbidden things are the most desirable

Strike while the iron is hot  Meaning: Take the opportunity now; don’t waste it

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof  Meaning: Don’t worry about the future; focus on today’s worries

That which does not kill you, makes you stronger  Meaning: Unpleasant experiences will make you wiser

Tall oaks grow from little acorns  Meaning: Great things may come from small beginnings

The die is cast  Meaning: A decision has been made and it’s impossible to change it

The dogs bark but the caravan goes on  Meaning: Let the world say what it will

The end justifies the means  Meaning: Wrong methods may be used if the result of the action is good

The road to hell is paved with good intentions  Meaning: It’s not enough to intend to do something, you must actually do it

The straw that broke the camel’s back  Meaning: The last of a number of little things which led to something major

The truth is in the wine  Meaning: People speak more freely under the influence of alcohol

There is no smoke without fire  Meaning: Everything happens for a reason

There’s no time like the present  Meaning: If you need to do something, don’t wait until later

There’s no such thing as a free lunch  Meaning: Things that are offered for free always have a hidden cost

Time is money  Meaning: Time is valuable and should not be wasted

Time will tell  Meaning: Sometime you just can’t know

Tomorrow is another day — Meaning: You can’t do everything today

Too many cooks spoil the broth  Meaning: Too many persons involved in managing an activity can ruin it

Too much of one thing, good for nothing  Meaning: You can have too much of something good

Tread on a worm and it will turn  Meaning: Even the weakest person will try to defend when he feels threatened

Trouble shared is trouble halved  Meaning: If you tell someone about a problem you are having, the problem will not seem so daunting

Two heads are better than one  Meaning: Two people working together have a better chance of solving a problem than one person working alone

Two is a company; three is a crowd  Meaning: A loving couple wants to be left alone

Two wrongs don’t make a right  Meaning: A second misdeed or mistake does not cancel the first

Union is strength  Meaning: If people join together, they are more powerful than if they work by themselves

Use it or lose it  Meaning: Not using a skill might lead you into losing it

Variety is the spice of life  Meaning: You should try many different kinds of experiences, because trying it keeps life interesting

Walk softly, carry a big stick  Meaning: Be affable but be sure to have powerful punitive measures

Walk the walk and talk the talk — Meaning: First do your task, and then talk about it

Walls have ears  Meaning: Someone may be listening

A watched pot never boils  Meaning: While waiting for something to happen, it feels like time is moving slower

Well begun is half done  Meaning: Beginning a project well makes it easier to do the rest

What goes around comes around  Meaning: Good acts will quite often reward you

What a man says drunk, he thinks sober  Meaning: People speak more freely under the influence of alcohol

What soberness conceals, drunkenness reveals   Meaning: People are less discreet under the influence of alcohol

What you sow is what you reap  Meaning: Everything that happens to you is a result of your own actions

When in Rome, do as the Romans do  Meaning: When you are visiting another country, you should behave like the people in that country

When the cat is away, the mice will play  Meaning: When no one in authority is present, the subordinates can do as they please

When the going gets tough, the tough get going  Meaning: Strong people don’t give up when they come across challenges

Where there’s muck there’s brass  Meaning: There is money to be made in dirty jobs

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink  Meaning: You can give someone an opportunity, but you can’t force him to take advantage of it

You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs  Meaning: When you try to do something great, you’ll probably make a few people annoyed or angry

Test your English

Why 2 Word Quotes?

Short quotes with two words are great as they are easy to memorize and, thus, are always on your mind. Words can change lives, and Just two words are enough to have a greater impact than any longer quote. Also, two words quotes are preferred over longer quotes as they are catchier and have a deeper impact. Two-word quotes are those short quotes that have some meaning and can be used for various purposes, for instance, to motivate someone, to inspire someone, or to show love. Two-word phrases are a group of two words expressing a concept. They can be used within a sentence or as a single unit. This article has a list of over 200 such inspirational, influential and deepest short quotes and best two-word phrases for life.

Motivational Short Quotes

1. «Be Still.»

2. ‘Fear Not.’

3. «I Can.»

4. «Be Yourself.»

5. «Dream Bird.»

6. «Rise Above.»

7. «You Matter.»

8. «You Can.»

9. «I Will.»

10. «Accept Yourself.»

11. «Be Fearless.»

12. «Trust Yourself.»

13. «Don’t Stop.»

14. «Consistency=Success.»

15. «Be Honest.»

16. «Amplify hope.»

17. «Stay Focused.»

18. «Don’t Panic.»

19. «Move Forward.»

20. «Try Again.»

Short Quotes About Love

21. «Love Endures.»

22. «Unconditional Love.»

23. «Love Much.»

24. «Love Fearlessly.»

25. «Love Fiercely.»

26. «True Love.»

27. «Love You.»

28. «Got Love?»

29. «Be Kind.»

30. «Stay Beautiful.»

31. «Good Vibes.»

32. «Love Life.»

33. «Mixed Feelings.»

Inspirational Short Quotes

34. «Chase Grace.»

35. «Have Faith.»

36. «Work Hard.»

37. «Laugh Today.»

38. «Keep Going.»

39. «Live Well.»

40. «Act justly.»

41. «Look Within.»

42. «Infinite Possibilities.»

43. «Enjoy Life.»

44. «Stay Positive.»

45. «Cherish Today»

46. «Risk Taker.»

47. «Stay Curious.»

48. «Enjoy Today.»

49. «Just Start.»

50. «Exist Loudly.»

51. «Loosen Up.»

Power Words Quotes

52. «You Sparkle.»

53. «Why Not?»

54. «Laugh Often.»

55. «Game On.»

56. «Dream Big.»

57. «Imperfectly Perfect.»

58. «Feel Free.»

59. «Laughter Heals.»

60. «A Weapon.»

61. «Everything Counts.»

66. «Enjoy Life.»

67. «Self-Loving.»

68. «Look Up.»

69. «Mind Matter.»

70. «I am.»

71. «Hakuna Matata.»

Cool Short Quotes

68. «Think Different.»

69. «Limited Edition.»

70. «Stay Weird.»

71. «Perfectly Imperfect.»

72. «Stay Messy.»

73. «Feeling Groovy»

74. «Be Uncommon.»

75. «Dance Today.»

76. «Be colorful.»

77. «Just Sayin…»

78. «Don’t Quit.»

79. «Chill Out.»

80. «Stay Classy.»

81. «Keep Calm.»

82. «Under Construction.»

83. «Play Nice.»

Short Meaningful 2 Word Quotes

84. «Give Thanks.»

85. «Smile Everyday.»

86. «Dream Always.»

87. «Hold On.»

88. «Have Patience.»

89. «Happy Endings.»

90. «Be Thankful.»

91. «Forever free.»

92. «Alive & Well.»

93. «Getting There.»

94. «Perfectly Content.»

95. «Invite Tranquility.»

96. «Forget This.»

97. «Explore Magic.»

98. «No Boundaries.»

99. «Keep Smiling.»

100. «Be Spontaneous.»

101. «Find Balance.»

102. «Inhale Exhale.»

103. «Worry Less.»

Two Word Captions

104. «Beautiful Disaster.»

105. «God’s Masterpiece.»

106. «Sunday Funday.»

107. «Happy Trails.»

108. «For Real.»

109. «Lovely Day.»

110. «Hello Gorgeous.»

111. «Carpe diem.»

112. «I Remember…»

113. «Come Back.»

114. «Stay Tuned.»

115. «Friends Forever.»

116. «But Why?»

117. «Lost Soul.»

118. «Fairy Dust.»

119. «No Filter.»

120. «Call Me.»

121. «Frisky Friday.»

122. «Beautiful Chaos.»

123. «Warning Sign.»

124. «Embrace Elegance.»

125. «Be Fierce.»

126. «Embrace Elegance.»

127. «Hopelessly Romantic.»

128. «Sunny Vibes.»

2 Word Phrases

129. «Little Things.»

130. «Think Twice.»

131. «Radiant Positivity.»

132. «Be Authentic.»

133. «Be Present.»

134. «Follow Through»

135. «Free Yourself.»

136. «Start living.»

137. «Miracle Happens.»

138. «Crazy Beautiful.»

139. «Breathe Deeply.»

140. «Just Imagine.»

2 Word Sayings

141. «Inner Peace.

142. «Never Settle.»

143. «Wild Things.»

144. «Take Chances.»

144. «Create Yourself.»

145. «Baby steps.»

146. «Just Believe.»

147. «Golden Days.»

148. «Inhale Exhale.»

149. «Day Dreaming.»

150. «Blue Skies.»

151. «Simply Happy.»

152. «Let Go.»

153. “Be awesome.”

154. “Accept yourself.”

155. “Act justly.”

156. “Alive & well.”

157. “Amplify hope.”

Best Quotes in 2 Words

159. “Aim high.”

160. “Be limitless.” 

161. “Food passion.”

162. “Safe place.”

163. “Endless love.”

164. “Happy memories.”

165. “Define yourself.”

166. “Adventure awaits.”

167. “Go live.”

168. “Grow Gratitude.”                                                                                                                         

169. “Find yourself.”

170. “Not today.”

171. “For life.”

172. “Let’s chill.”

173. “Miss you.”

174. “I see.”

175. “Believe me.”

176. “Rock on.”

177. “Let God.”

178. “Time heals.”

179. “Hello gorgeous!”

180. “Be mine.”

2 Word Quotes For Instagram

181. “Never forget.”

182. “Marry me.”

183. “Exact estimate.”

184. “Fully empty.”

185. “Couch potato.”

186. “FIRE, RUN!”

187. “I’m blushing.”

188. “You’re welcome.”

189. “Be happy.”

190. “Sunny Vibes.”

191. «Hustle Everyday.»

192. «Turn Destiny.»

193. «Rise, Slay.»

194. «Precious Smile.»

195. «Professional Overthinker.»

196. «Sympathize, Everyone.»

197. «Wonderful Creature.»

198. «Winners Learn.»

199. «Never Underestimate.»

200. «Rise. Defeat.»

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6 word quotes

5 word quotes

Memory Instagram captions

« previous post | next post »

Here is one of the saddest facts about language and culture that I have noticed in quite a while: the search pattern «before turning * gun on himself» gets tens or even hundreds of thousands of hits on Google.

Most grammatical six-word sequences are very rare. That is one of the things that made Kaavya Viswanathan’s plagiarism so easy to spot. For a six-word phrase to be moderately common it has to be a fixed phrase of some kind, such as a cliché, an idiom, or a proverb. I made up the six-word phrase «before anyone had even noticed it» literally at random, and Googled it, and got only a single hit in all of the web’s trillion words. But shooting rampages by suicidal maniacs have become so common (there was another one in Alabama yesterday) that «before turning the gun on himself» and «before turning his gun on himself» have become commonly encountered clichés in news sources.

The reason I don’t give actual numbers is that it is hard to establish accurately
how many times a phrase occurs, using Google. (A commenter who signs himself Forrest below explains why.)

Through a weird and horrible coincidence, while I was writing this post (which I have entirely rewritten because it was so badly misunderstood in its first draft), unknown to me, a new shooting rampage was occurring in Winnenden, near Stuttgart, in Germany. The gunman must have been committing suicide just about the time I first posted. And sure enough, in the Daily Telegraph account of it the phrase «before turning the gun on himself» turns up once again (in a reference to an earlier incident in 2002). The BBC News website uses the phrase yet again, referring to a 2006 incident in Germany. The ITV News site uses the phrase of the Winnenden massacre.

Most of the comments that piled up below the original draft of this post simply cited phrases, or lists of phrases, that get huge numbers of hits. This was disappointing, not only because the result is boring, and didn’t quite connect with my point, but also because it diluted the pool, so the three or four really interesting comments were hard to find. I have done a ruthless cull, and deleted all the ones that merely cited a phrase and said how many hits it got. (I probably should have deleted more. See the Language Log Comments Policy. It is not incumbent upon us to host in our comments area any random observation that floats across your mind.)

It is not surprising that phrases with high hit counts can be found if you go for formulaic ways of saying things that are often said (like «Email this page to a friend»). There are so many six-word phrases in English that there is room for thousands of them to have become clichés or otherwise familiar expressions. One commenter cited «of the United States of America», for example (this is really two or three lexical items rather than six: it has the same syntax as «of the USA», or «of France») — an even more deeply boring example than the many others. But even if there are thousands of high-hit-count six-word phrases, it can still be the case (and almost certainly is) that most six-word phrases are very rare.

Anyway, my main observation here is not about the rarity of arbitrary phrases. It is about the sad fact of this one having been called upon so often, as school massacres go on and on racking up their victim tallies.

March 11, 2009 @ 10:41 am
· Filed by Geoffrey K. Pullum under Language and the media, Syntax

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