‘A stitch in time saves nine’ is what my grandmother always said. I never liked it because it meant I wasn’t doing something well enough and would have to re-do it. Now I’ve grown up a bit, I understand that doing something properly the first time means that you don’t need to go back and fix it, but I still hate the phrase.
Another proverb I used to hear all the time was ‘a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’, which means that you should be grateful for what you have, rather than wasting it wishing for something better. This idea is quite common in proverbs. There’s also ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too’ which means that it’s impossible to get everything you want, so you should be happy with what you have.
When I was young, I never knew why people used proverbs so often. Now that I am a bit older, I understand that proverbs tell us basic truths that we all understand, but would not be able to say clearly. My favourite proverb? ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones,’ which means that words do not hurt. I am not sure if it is true, but I still like the proverb, which my grandmother never used.
Glossary
|
stitch – steh Jazyková agentura Channel Crossings |
Texty © Channel Crossings, 2009. Kopírování a šíření textů bez souhlasu autora je zakázáno.