![]() ![]() We are, today, pretty accustomed to a working day. This is a wonderful proverb, if only because of the word “thriven.” But, what’s also fascinating about this 19th century rhyme is that “seven” was considered sleeping in. He that will thrive must rise at five he that hath thriven may lie till seven ![]() Similarly, there is a Russian proverb which runs, “You can’t have everything.” The Wellerism, or anti-proverb, goes, “You can’t have everything - some of it will have to be stolen.” Try it with any cliché you can think of. Everybody to their taste - but kissing a cow is a bit much. The end result is a slightly confused, non-wisdom. For instance, this idiom starts on a variation of “to each their own” but ends with the old lady having a particular penchant for cattle. The idea behind a “Wellerism” is that you take a well-known expression, usually a cliché, and you invert it with a funny twist. In Charles Dickens’ book, The Pickwick Papers, there’s a popular character named Sam Weller who throws out idioms and comical lines like this. “Everybody to their taste,” said the old lady as she kissed the cow Recessions lead to booms, and struggles make us strong. However long, dark, and cold a winter might be, the summer will be sweeter for it. The expression came to mean “hardships bring good times” - like a kind of tempering. What’s more, a slow melting snow provides moisture and nitrogen from the air, both of which are essential to a fertile farm. Today, we know that it’s because a snow-covered crop will not sprout too early. This idiom springs from the observable phenomenon that often a snow-covered field will then have a greater yield in the harvest season. They watched their crops and they learned. Long before we knew about nitrogen and photosynthesis or any chemical elements at all, peasants knew their fields. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” A snow year, a rich year As the Irish rugby player, Brian O’Driscoll put it, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. ![]() Street wisdom and mother-wit is what gets things done. But, as has been known for millennia, smart does not mean wise. So, “clergy” in this 18th century proverb refers to “book smarts.” It is both the lessons from the pulpit and knowledge on a blackboard. The oldest schools in Europe were often attached to a cathedral. An ounce of mother-wit is worth a pound of clergyīefore the state-funded school system and secular universities, most formal education was organized by the church. So, without any more “beating around the bush” (or “walking through hot porridge,” if you’re Czech), here are seven lost idioms of the English language and what they can teach us. They teach us how our forebears saw the world, and what mattered enough to make a catchy turn-of-phrase about it. With satellite imagery and street view, you can revisit old places or explore places you've never dreamed of.Idioms not only teach us about a people, they also teach us about our past. Google Maps dynamically plans new routes based on real-time traffic information, even helping you choose the most desirable lanes. Travel smoothly, bid farewell to congestion Fine navigation and lane guidance will escort you all the way. You don’t have to worry about missing an illegible ramp exit any more. The first step with right direction gets ahead of others in the following steps. More wonderful scenery is waiting for you to find. Thanks to the Art Project, you can visit The Palace of Versailles, stroll around the White House and enjoy the National Museum of Tokyo. You are welcome to visit the world's famous scenic spots. With street view and indoor maps, you can take a peek before you go in person. See 'Perspective' the internal environment of the stores ![]()
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