Proverbs,
called provribs, freits or sawes in Scots, are short
familiar sayings expressing a supposed truth or moral lesson.
| A bonnie bride is suin buskit, an a
short horse is suin wispit. |
A pretty bride needs little decoration;
a small horse little grooming. |
| A cauld needs the ceuk sae muckle the doctor. |
I need it like a hole in the head. |
| A gien cou shoudna be leukit in the mou |
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth |
| A greedy gutsie ee ne'er gat a fou wame. |
Greedy persons are never satisfied. |
| A guid dug ne'er barkit aboot a bane. |
Good servants don't look for rewards. |
| A guid name's suiner tint nor wun. |
A good name is sooner lost than gained. |
| A hungersome wame haes nae lugs. |
A hungry person can't listen to reason. |
| A rowin stane gaithers nae fog. |
A rolling stone gathers no moss. |
| A shored tree staunds lang. |
Threatened folk live long. |
| A smaw buss is better nor nae bield. |
Any port in a storm. |
| Ae man's meat is anither man's pushion. |
One man's food is another man's poison. |
| Early creuk the tree that guid crummock wad be. |
If at first you don’t succeed,
try, try and try again. |
| An ill shearer aye blames his tuils. |
A bad workman always blames his tools. |
| As ae door's steekit anither appens. |
As one door closes another one opens. |
| As daft as a yett on a windy day. |
As mad as a hatter. |
| Auld sawes speaks suith. |
Old proverbs tell the truth. |
| Auld speugies is ill tae tame. |
You can’t teach an old dog new
tricks. |
| Aw compleen o want o siller but nane o want o mense. |
If they had more sense they would soon
have more money. |
| Aw things haes an end, an a pudden haes twa. |
All things have an end, and a sausage
has two |
| Aye tae eild but niver tae wit. |
Always growing older but never wiser. |
| Bairns maun creep ere thay gang. |
Don’t try to walk before you
can crawl. |
| Better a fremmit freend nor a freend fremmit. |
Better friendly stranger than a friend
estranged. |
| Better a moose in the pat nor nae flesh. |
A bird in the hand is worth two in
the bush. |
| Better a tuim hoose nor an ill tenant. |
Better an empty house than a bad tenant.
(Said when letting wind) |
| Better a wee buss nor nae bield. |
Any port in a storm. |
| Better hauf an egg nor a tuim dowp. |
Better half a loaf than no bread. |
| Better ma freends thinks me fremmit as fashious. |
Better my that friends think me a stranger
owing to infrequent visits than troublesome owing
to too many. |
| Better mak yer feet yer freends. |
Show a clean pair of heels. |
| Better suin nor syne. |
Better sooner rather than later. |
| Beauty's muck whan honour's tint. |
Beauty is of no value when honour is
lost. |
| Claw ye ma back, an A'll claw yers |
If you scratch my back, I'll scratch
yours. |
| Craft maun hae claes but suith gangs nakit. |
Cunning must have clothes but truth
goes naked. |
| Dinna speak o raip til a chield that's faither wis
hingit. |
Don't talk of rope to a man whose father
was hanged. |
| E'enin orts is guid mornins' fother. |
Today’s rain is tomorrow’s
whisky. |
| Facts is chields that winna ding. |
Facts are stubborn things. |
| Gie a beggar a bed an, he'll pey ye wi a loose. |
Give a beggar a bed, and he'll pay
you with a louse. |
| Gie yer tongue mair halidays nor yer heid. |
Give your tongue more holidays than
your head. |
| He shoud hae a hail powe that caws his neebour neetie
nou. |
People who live in glass houses shouldn't
throw stones. |
| He that's angry appens his mou an steeks his een. |
The angry man speaks unadvisedly, without
investigating the matter. |
| He that's scant o braith shoudna meddle wi the chanter. |
Never begin anything for which you
have no aptitude. |
| He that blaws in stour fills his ain een. |
He who stirs up trouble finds himself
in it. |
| He that sleeps wi dugs maun rise wi flaes. |
He who keeps bad company will be the
worse for it. |
| He that will til Cupar maun til Cupar. |
A wilful man must have his way. |
| Ilk blad o girse keeps its ain dew. |
Mind your own business. |
| It's a bare muir that ye gang throu an no find a
heather cou. |
It's a long lane that has no turning. |
| It's a blate cheetie that maks a prood moose. |
A shy cat makes a proud mouse. |
| It's an ill bird that fyles it's ain nest. |
Don’t foul your own nest. |
| It's better tae hear the laverock sing nor the moose
cheep. |
The outdoor life is the better. |
| It's guid tae begin weel, but better tae end weel. |
Make hay while the sun shines. |
| It's ill bringin but, whit's no ben. |
You can't have your cake and eat it. |
| It's like butter in the black dug's hause. |
It's no use crying over spilt milk. |
| It's no the rummlin cairt that faws ower the brae. |
It's not the likeliest person who dies
first. |
| It's past joukin whan the heid's aff. |
It's too late to lock the stable door
after the horse has bolted. |
| Keep yer ain fish-guts tae yer ain seamaws. |
Charity begins at home. |
| Kinnle a caunle at baith ends, an it'll suin be
duin. |
Go to bed late and rise early, and
you'll soon be dead. |
| Lat the belled wether brak the snaw. |
Tried leaders are best in emergencies. |
| Lig the heid o the sou til the tail o the gryce. |
Balance gains and losses. |
| Makna tuim ruise. |
Bestow no empty praise. |
| Mony ane for laund, taks a fuil by the haund. |
Many marry for money. |
| Mony a puckle maks a muckle. |
Every little helps. |
| Muckle whistlin for little redd laund. |
Much cry for little wool. |
| Nae gairdener iver lichtlied his ain leeks. |
No man speaks ill of what he values
most. |
| Ne'er find faut wi ma shuin unless ye pey ma souter. |
Don't criticise something you know
nothing about and which is none of your business. |
| Ne'er gang til the deil wi a dishcloot on yer heid. |
As well be hanged for a sheep as a
lamb. In for a penny, in for a pound. |
| Ne'er lat yer feet rin faster nor yer shuin. |
Don't outstrip your resources. |
| Ne'er lat yer gear owergang ye. |
Pride not yourself in your riches. |
| Ne'er pit yer haund oot faurer nor yer sleeve will
rax. |
Spend no more than you can afford. |
| Niver tak a forehaimer tae brak an egg (whan ye
can dae't wi the back o a knife). |
To crack a nut with a sledgehammer. |
| Oot the hie-gate is aye fair play. |
Honesty is the best policy. |
| Pit twa pennies in a pootch, an thay'll creep thegither. |
Put two pennies in a purse, and they
will creep together. |
| Raise nae mair deils nor ye can lig. |
Don't start anything you can't stop. |
| Reek follaes the fairest; beir witness tae the creuk. |
Excellence is accompanied by envy. |
| Set a stoot hert til a stey brae. |
The harder the task, the more determination
is needed. |
| Tak help at yer elbucks. |
Heaven helps those who help themselves. |
| The eemock bites sairer nor the clock. |
It is dangerous to interfere with a
man seriously engaged in business. |
| The keeng ligs doun an the warld rins roond. |
No man is indispensable. |
| The pruif o the pudden's in the preein o't. |
The proof of the pudding is in the
eating. |
| The thing that's duin is no tae dae. |
There's no time like the present. |
| Thare's a dub at ilka door. |
There's a skeleton in every cupboard. |
| Thare's aye some watter whaur the stirkie drouns. |
No smoke without fire. |
| Thay are fremmit freends that canna be fasht. |
They are strange friends who can't
be bothered. |
| Thay gang faur that disna meet ae day. |
It’s a small world. |
| We can shape wir bairn's wyliecoat but canna shape
thair weird. |
We can shape our children's clothes
but not their fate. |
| Ye are feart for the day ye niver seen. |
You are worrying unnecessarily. |
| Ye canna gaither berries aff a whinbuss. |
Don't go to ill-tempered people for
favours. |
