Judgement and Consequence
“Look before you leap”, “Pride comes before a fall”, “Let sleeping dogs lie”: the warnings are the oldest layer of the language and the most quotable, because a proverb lets you predict trouble without accusing anyone. Two on this level are among the most misquoted sentences in English — one of them reverses the sense of a Bible verse, the other of a medieval legal rule.
Practice this set for free — no account needed. Loads 12 flashcards into the learner. The learner asks it the other way round: meaning first, phrase second.
Practice in the free learnerHow to study this set
Read the detail pages for “money is the root of all evil” and “the exception proves the rule” before you use either in writing. Both are usually said in a form that means something other than what the speaker intends.
All 12 flashcards
Swap question and answerLook before you leap.
Consider the consequences before you commit.
“Read the lease properly before you sign — look before you leap.”
Curiosity killed the cat.
Prying into things can get you into trouble.
“Stop reading his screen. Curiosity killed the cat.”
Meaning, origin and more examples →Pride comes before a fall.
Overconfidence tends to be followed by failure.
“He told everyone he had already won it, and came fourth. Pride comes before a fall.”
Do not count your chickens before they hatch.
Do not rely on something that has not happened yet.
“The offer isn’t signed — don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
Do not put all your eggs in one basket.
Do not stake everything on a single option.
“Apply to a few places, not just the one. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Leave a settled problem alone rather than reviving it.
“Nobody has mentioned the merger in months — let sleeping dogs lie.”
There is no smoke without fire.
A persistent rumour usually has something behind it.
“Three people have said the same thing now. There’s no smoke without fire.”
Do not bite the hand that feeds you.
Do not harm the person you depend on.
“Criticising the client in public? Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Do not criticise faults you share.
“He called her disorganised, and his own desk is chaos — people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Meaning well does not prevent harm.
“They rewrote the policy to help and made it unusable. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
The love of money is the root of all evil.
Greed, not money itself, is what causes the harm.
“He had enough twice over and still cut the wages — the love of money is the root of all evil.”
Meaning, origin and more examples →The exception proves the rule.
A stated exception implies a rule the rest of the time.
“‘No parking on Sundays’ tells you it is allowed all week — the exception proves the rule.”
Meaning, origin and more examples →What to learn next
That completes the set — practise it the other way round to produce these from a situation.