- List of popular sayings and their meaning
- 1- Blood is thicker than water
- 2- Curiosity killed the cat
- 3- A gift horse does not look at the tusk
- 4- They caught you red-handed
- 5- Faith moves mountains
- 7- The fault is not the pig, but the one who feeds it
- 12- Be on the same page
- 17- kick the boat
- 19- God helps those who get up early
- 20- Make a scene
- 21- Being in the seventh heaven
- 22- Find the five legs of the cat
- 23- Dog that barks does not bite
- 24- turn your back
- 29- Release hair
- 31-Ships that pass in the dark
- 32- Everything that goes up must come down
- 34- I wouldn't hurt a fly
- 36- Dirty clothes are washed at home
- 38-The eagle does not catch flies
- 39- Like Pedro for his house
- 41- The monkey dances for silver
- 42- Talk up to the elbows
- 43- Bite the dust
- 46- In the blacksmith's house, wooden knife
- 47- A swallow does not make a summer
- 48- They hung my sanbenito
- 49- You kill a cat and they call you a cat killer
- 50- Give a hoot
- 51- He went to the kitchen
- 52- Run away with the tail between the legs
- 53- Bad bug never dies
- 54- Soup and tit do not enter the same mouth
- 55- He who does not fall, slips
- 56- A good understanding, few words
- 57- To what is done, chest
- 58- Clear things and thick chocolate
- 59- To the letter
- 60- Make al tun tun
- References
The popular sayings are expressions that have figurative or literal meanings. Most of the people use them commonly in their day to day because they are part of their vocabulary.
However, as there are so many, many times their meaning is not always immediately recognized. Sayings add something extra to the language and there are thousands of these phrases in all languages. Most of the sayings have their origin in historical facts and folkloric events.
In linguistics, sayings are presumed to be figures of speech that contradict the principle of composition. The composition is the main key to the analysis of the sentences and is emphasized in most of the sayings.
This principle states that the meaning of a whole should be constructed from the meaning of the parts that make up that whole.
In other words, one should be in a position to understand the whole if one understands the meaning of each of the parts that make up that whole.
List of popular sayings and their meaning
1- Blood is thicker than water
It means that family and blood ties come before everything else.
2- Curiosity killed the cat
It means a criticism of the inquiring or prying of humans, just as the cat is often the victim of its own curiosity.
3- A gift horse does not look at the tusk
It means that someone should not question a gift or something they received and should accept it as it comes.
4- They caught you red-handed
It means that you were caught doing something bad or wrong.
5- Faith moves mountains
It means to start talking to someone, start a friendship, or start a project.
7- The fault is not the pig, but the one who feeds it
It means that a person was left speechless, usually after being questioned.
12- Be on the same page
It means that money is a resource that must be earned and is not something that is easily acquired.
17- kick the boat
It means something that will never happen.
19- God helps those who get up early
It means that positive things will happen for the one who gets up early.
20- Make a scene
It means behaving in a way that interrupts the audience, drawing negative attention by being dramatic.
21- Being in the seventh heaven
It means having strong feelings of happiness or satisfaction.
22- Find the five legs of the cat
It means trying to find solutions or explanations without any foundation to real things.
23- Dog that barks does not bite
It means that those who talk a lot tend to do little.
24- turn your back
It means that there is a difference between saying something and doing it.
29- Release hair
It signifies an attempt that has little chance of being successful.
31-Ships that pass in the dark
It means that two people meet for the first time, form a momentary relationship, and go their separate ways immediately.
32- Everything that goes up must come down
It means that something is excessively expensive.
34- I wouldn't hurt a fly
It means that an individual who is inattentive will suffer negative consequences.
36- Dirty clothes are washed at home
It means that people usually tend to bond with individuals who have similar values and behaviors.
38-The eagle does not catch flies
It means that a superior individual should not occupy his time in trifles.
39- Like Pedro for his house
It means a comparison between members of the same family. It is often used to justify the similar behaviors of individuals in the same household.
41- The monkey dances for silver
It means that people will do anything for money regardless of the moral implications.
42- Talk up to the elbows
It means talking too much, sometimes even meaningless.
43- Bite the dust
It means that each person has something that they are passionate about.
46- In the blacksmith's house, wooden knife
It is a paradox that means that in a place where something should abound, the opposite occurs.
47- A swallow does not make a summer
It means that a sporadic event cannot be the reason for a generality.
48- They hung my sanbenito
It refers to when an attitude or behavior is assigned to you in an unjustified way.
49- You kill a cat and they call you a cat killer
Very similar to the previous one. It is a way of justifying that a specific event does not mean that it will do more.
50- Give a hoot
It means that one thing has come to you when it really was another.
51- He went to the kitchen
It refers to when someone enters or intrudes on something else.
52- Run away with the tail between the legs
It means that someone fled from a situation taking what they deserved or with great fear.
53- Bad bug never dies
It means that bad or cunning people often escape their bad deeds without consequences.
54- Soup and tit do not enter the same mouth
It refers to hoarders or selfish people, but without the ability to manage what they have in their hands.
55- He who does not fall, slips
It means that even the best person is not free to make mistakes.
56- A good understanding, few words
It means that if you are smart you will quickly understand the context without needing to be explained.
57- To what is done, chest
It means that when a wrong act is committed, take in the blame and do your best to make amends for the problem.
58- Clear things and thick chocolate
It is used when you want to put something on the table without digressing or getting involved in technicalities.
59- To the letter
It means when something is done in a manner faithful to how it was explained or taught, without taking any kind of initiative of its own.
60- Make al tun tun
When something is done without any kind of order or criteria.
References
- Popular sayings. Recovered from ciudad-real.es
- 25 common sayings and where they came from (2017). Recovered from list25.com
- Meanings of common phrases. Recovered from knowyourphrase.com
- Idioms. Recovered from wikipedia.org.