The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

(1) THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK is an everyday proverb. Most kettles are black and most pots are dark on the bottom. Somebody who is not error-free is calling attention to someone's mistake, which is the same as his own.

I have noticed that we human beings usually like to accuse other people of our own errors, and this can be obvious to everybody -- except ourselves.

(2) DON’T ROCK THE BOAT

&  DON’T MAKE WAVES

This means we should lay low and not draw attention to ourselves.

(3) A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE

This is a good example of an old-fashioned proverb that has lost its meaning. There is no point speaking of stitches when people have no idea how to thread a needle anymore.

Hot Tip: Never pay for a class in idioms and slang expressions. Most of them will be out-of-date by the time the class ends.

(4) A WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT
or: A WORD TO THE WISE IS ENOUGH

An intelligent person picks up on hints. She or he does not have to have the whole picture drawn completely. S/he is not A DIM BULB, a stupid person. But many people who are not stupid still do not pick up on subtle indications. Maybe they don’t want to know that something is changing.

These have been some proverbs. For one standard reference book on this subject, please see the Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.

Some Suggested Topics for Discussion:

1. Students are said to think in a concrete way, not a metaphorical way anymore. If true, that would be a huge loss to our language ability as human beings. Have you heard about this issue?


2. Would a person who thinks concretely be able to understand the expression, 'Don't rock the boat'?

 

Copyright © 2011     Barbara A. English

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