Adage: a traditional saying expressing a common experience or observation; a proverb.
Mae Brown is legendary for her traditional sayings that have been passed down through the generations. Her daughter, Mary, remembers them all and shares them with her children and grandchildren. It seems like for every occasion, there's an adage to go with it!
For
instance, if a couple got married who didn't seem well-matched, Mae
might say, "She probably married him to get rid of him!" Or, "There's a
Jack for every Jill." Or even "She jumped over all of the daisies and
landed in a cow pie!" (I've never heard that one before - but I think it's my favorite!)
There
were sayings to go with housework as well. When children were visiting
or playing when there was work to be done, she'd say, "This and better
might do, but this and worse will never do." And if one of her children
tried to take a short-cut on chores, and had to do it again? "Lazy
people always have to work the hardest."
When her children
couldn't understand why something was the way it was, she would
exclaim, "Kids and fools should never see anything until it is
finished," or "It's not what you want that makes you fat, its what you
get." (Do you think the kids knew what she meant?! I think she
probably got them so distracted trying to figure it out, they forgot
what they wanted!)
If something happened that couldn't be
helped, she would declare: "There is no use crying over spilled milk."
Or, "No use closing the barn door after the horse is out." (I've heard the one about spilled milk - even used it myself - but not the barn door!)
Here's a few more:
- Waste not; want not.
- A stitch in time saves nine.
- That's the pot calling the kettle black.
- Pretty is as pretty does.
- What doesn't fatten helps to fill.
- There is no disgrace in honest labor.
- Birds of a feather flock together.
How about you? Have you heard any of these old sayings and adages? Please leave me a comment and share some more!
Comments Imported from Blogger:
Fun reading, JoLyn. I grew up with my grandparents and did hear some of these adages. I don't think I heard the range that you have. But I find myself repeating some sometimes, and think we've suffered a loss in cultural understanding of the past by not having the family relationships we used to so that these things could be passed down.
Here's a southern saying from a college roommate referring to a great meal.
"That tastes so good it will make you want to whoop your mama and reach across the table and slap your daddy."
Also my grandparents used to refer to aggressive driving as "Slow down who do you think you are Barney Oldfield" This was the first person to drive over 60 MPH.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Oldfield
What a fun post! I love all the old sayings-and I always wonder who said them first and why.