PROVERBS

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush – yang dikejar tak dapat, yang dikendong
berciciran

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth – hutang darah dibayar darah, hutang nyawa,
nyawa padahnya

Better to be safe than sorry – Biar lambat asal selamat

Between the devil and the deep blue sea – ditelan mati emak, diluah mati bapak

Blood is thicker than water – air dicincang tak akan putus

Cut your coat according to your cloth – ukur baju di badan sendiri

Diamond cuts diamond – bertemu buku dengan ruas

Don’t judge a book by its cover – air yang tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya

Empty vessels make the most noise – tong yang kosonglah yang selalu berkocak

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me – takkan pisang berbuah
dua kali

Give someone an inch and they will take a mile (yard) – beri betis hendakkan paha

In for a penny, in for a pound – sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit

It never rains but it pours – sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga

It’s no use crying over spilt milk – sudah terhantuk, baru tergandah

Kill two birds with one stone – sambil menyelam minum air

Like father, like son – bapa borek, anak rintik

Many hands make light work – ringan sama dijinjing, berat sama dipikul

No garden without weeds - bumi mana tidak ditimpa hujan

No pain no gain - kalau tak dipecahkan ruyung, manakan dapat sagunya

No retreat, no surrender - biar putih tulang, jangan putih mata

Practice makes perfect – alah bisa tegal biasa
Time is money – masa itu emas

Where there is a will, there is a way – di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalan
Two wrongs don't make a right

 The pen is mightier than the sword

Trying to convince people with ideas and words is more effective than trying to force people to do
what you want.
 

When in Rome, do as the Romans

Act the way that the people around you are acting. This phrase might come in handy when you're
traveling abroad notice that people do things differently than you're used to.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease

You can get better service if you complain about something. If you wait patiently, no one's going to
help you.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

Strong people don't give up when they come across challenges. They just work harder.

No man is an island                                            
You can't live completely independently. Everyone needs help from other people.

Fortune favors the bold

People who bravely go after what they want are more successful than people who try to live safely.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones

Don't criticize other people if you're not perfect yourself.

Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst

Be prepared all the times.

Better late than never

Being late is least better than none

Birds of a feather flock together

People like to spend time with others who are similar to them.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer

If you have an enemy, pretend to be friends with them instead of openly fighting with them. That
way you can watch them carefully and figure out what they're planning.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Pictures convey emotions and messages better than written or spoken explanations.
There's no such thing as a free lunch
Things that are offered for free always have a hidden cost.
There's no place like home
Your own home is the most comfortable place to be.

Discretion is the greater part of valor

Sometimes it's important to know when to give up and run away, instead of always acting brave and
maybe getting hurt.

The early bird catches the worm

You should wake up and start work early if you want to succeed.

Never look a gift horse in the mouth

If someone offers you a gift, don't question it.

You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs

When you try to do something great, you'll probably make a few people annoyed or angry. Don't
worry about those people; just focus on the good results.

God helps those who help themselves

Don't just wait for good things to happen to you. Work hard to achieve your goals.

You can't always get what you want

Don't whine and complain if you don't get what you wanted.

Cleanliness is next to godliness

Be clean.

A watched pot never boils

If something takes time to finish, don't watch it too closely because it will seem like it's taking
forever.

Beggars can't be choosers

If you're asking for a favor from someone else, you have to take whatever they give you.

Actions speak louder than words

Just saying that you'll do something doesn't mean much. Actually doing it is harder and more
meaningful.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Don't try to improve something that already works fairly well. You'll probably end up causing new
problems.

Practice makes perfect

You have to practice a skill a lot to become good at it.

Too many cooks spoil the broth

When there are too many people trying to lead and give their opinions, it's confusing and leads to
bad results. Jobs and projects should have one or two strong leaders.
Easy come, easy go
When you get money quickly, like by winning it, it's easy to spend it or lose it quickly as well.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you

If someone's paying you or helping you out, you have to be careful not to make them angry or say
bad things about them. 

All good things must come to an end

You сan't keep having good luck or fun forever; eventually it will stop.

If you can't beat them, join them.

When you try to change someone's behavior and it doesn't work, you might have to change instead.
For example, if you're trying to get your classmates to focus on studying but they want to party,
maybe you should just party with them.

One man's trash is another man's treasure

Different people have different ideas about what's valuable.

There's no time like the present

If you need to do something, don't wait until later. Do it now.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Different people have different ideas about what's beautiful.

Necessity is the mother of invention

When you're really in need, you think of creative solutions to your problems.

A penny saved is a penny earned

Save your money.

Familiarity breeds contempt

When you're around someone for too long, you get tired of them and annoyed by them.

You can't judge a book by its cover

Things sometimes look different than they really are. A restaurant that looks old and small might
have amazing food, for example.

Good things come to those who wait

Be patient.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

Have a backup plan. Don't risk all of your money or time in one plan.

Two heads are better than one

When two people cooperate with each other, they come up with better ideas.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill         

People tend to want whatever they don't have.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
Don't do mean things to people.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link

If one member of a team doesn't perform well, the whole team will fail.

Honesty is the best policy

Don't lie.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Sometimes it's good to be away from your partner, because it makes you want to see each other
again.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink
If you try to help someone, but they don't take your advice or offers, give up. You can't force
someone to accept your help.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch

Your plans might not work out, so don't start thinking about what you'll do after you succeed. Wait
until you've already succeeded, and then you can think about what to do next.

If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself

Don't trust other people to do important things for you. You have to do things yourself to control the
quality of the results.

Give it a shot - Try

Speak your mind - Say what you really feel
A piece of cake - Very easy
Slipped my mind - I forgot
Cross your fingers - For good luck
Be in hot water - Be in trouble
It cost an arm and a leg - It was expensive
Get cold feet - Be nervous
Get a kick out of - Enjoy
Read between the lines - Find the hidden meaning
Have mixed feelings - Unsure how you feel
Be second to none - Be the best
Play it by ear – Improvise
Hold the tongue – control the temper and don’t simply scold
Have second thoughts - Have doubts
Be in the same boat - Be in the same situation
Out of the blue - With no warning

Give someone the cold shoulder - Ignore someone

I’m all ears - You have my undivided attention
See eye to eye – Agree
In a blink of an eye – extremely fast or happens very fast
A good Samaritan – someone who helps people in trouble
Fish out of water - Being somewhere you don’t belong
Get off your high horse - Quit thinking you are better than others
Hold your horses - Wait a minute
Let the cat out of the bag - Tell a secret
Curiosity killed the cat - Asking may get you in trouble
Raining cats and dogs - It is raining very hard
Hot dog - A person doing athletic stunts that are dangerous
Bee in her bonnet - She is upset
Goose is cooked - Now you’re in trouble
Birdbrain - Someone who is not very smart
A bull in a China shop - someone who is very clumsy
Pig out - To eat a lot
Wolf in sheep’s clothing - A person who pretends to be nice but is not
Cry crocodile tears - To pretend to be upset
Make a mountain out of a molehill - Make something that is not important into a big deal
Cry over spilled milk – to cry over something that cant be undone
Bell the cat - to undertake or agree to perform a dangerous job
Bug eyed - with bulging eyes, as from surprise.
Can count some in – to include
IDIOMS
Call it quits—admit defeat; stop doing something

Give up—stop trying; surrender)

Drop a class—withdraw from being a part of a class

Hang in there—keep doing something or continue with a project and not lose hope or courage

Bail out (at the first sign of trouble)—quit at the earliest opportunity; admit defeat when things
begin to get difficult

Keep at it (until one gets it right)—continue to do something until it is completely acceptable or

absolutely correct
Stick with it (to the bitter end)—continue to do something unpleasant until it is finished

Sweat it out—wait or continue anxiously until the end

Throw in the towel—quit; admit defeat; surrender

Tough it out—endure or resist hardship

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS FOR HAPPINESS/SADNESS

Feel blue feel sad-discouraged, or mildly depressed

Feel down feel sad- discouraged, or mildly depressed feel sad, discouraged, or mildly
depressed

Be down in the dumps – be unhappy; feel sad or depressed

Be in 7th heaven – be extremely happy or in an exceptionally good mood

Be tickled pink – be very pleased or happy for someone or about something that happened

Feel like a million bucks – be very happy or in an exceptionally good mood

Look like one lost one’s best friend – appear to be extremely sad, dismal, or dejected

Long face - an unhappy or gloomy expression on one’s face

Walk on air – feel extremely happy, usually after receiving some particularly good news

Be on top of the world – be extremely happy or in an exceptionally good  mood

Be on cloud nine – be extremely happy or in an exceptionally good  mood

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS - KINDNESS

Save the day—succeed in helping someone who is in danger or trouble (give much needed help
to someone)

Offer one’s services—help someone; volunteer one’s time (let someone know that you would
like to help)

Come to the rescue—help someone in need, especially in an emergency situation (provide help
when most needed)

Do someone a favor—do something out of kindness, rather than out of a sense of duty or for
money (do something nice to help)

Bend over backwards for someone—do what is necessary to help or please someone (do
more than is expected to help)

Give someone the shirt off one’s back—do whatever is necessary to help someone (be
willing to do anything to help)

Go out of one’s way for someone—help someone, especially when it is inconvenient to do

so (help even when helping is not convenient)

Go to bat for someone—give aid; help in times of trouble or need (defend someone’s
reputation)

Help (someone) out—give assistance to someone; provide help (provide assistance when
needed)

Lend someone a (helping) hand—help someone; provide assistance to someone (provide

assistance when needed)

Going the second mile—doing more than is expected to help

A mydriad of – many types

Green finger – like to plant trees /vegetables

Struck with awe – amazed

Sumptuous – lavish, magnificent

Proverbs by Pn Vanajah

1)An apple a day keeps the doctor away

2)Bad news travels fast

3)Cut your coat according to your cloth

4)It is the first step that is difficult

5) Let sleeping dogs lie - To leave a situation alone so as to avoid worsening it

6) Money doesn’t grow on trees

7)Opportunity never knocks twice

8) Turn over a new leaf –start behaving in a better way

9)Barking up the wrong tree – making wrong assumptions about someone or something