Cassell's Proverbs Book

Proverbs were the seasoning in our grandparents' conversation. Sadly today a lot of people are no longer familiar with those memorable, traditional sayings and saws, which were often also pithy and allegorical. Enter David Pickering's Cassell's Dictionary of Proverbs which lists hundreds of them from "he that goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing" to 'zeal without knowledge is the sister of folly". And he tells you their provenance and--although, of course, it's usually self evident--the meaning, as well as providing relevant literary quotes where the proverbs have been used, by Shakespeare for example. Pickering has sidestepped the usual thematic/alphabetical tension which troubles most proverb dictionaries. He lists them alphabetically using a comfortable accessible system of cross-referencing under head words. So if you look up "miss" you are referred to "slice" for "a slice of a cut loaf isn't missed" and "never" for "You never miss the water till the well is dry." There is also a detailed thematic index at the back, listing proverbs under topics such as logic, manners and trees. Although Pickering claims that these proverbs come from many cultures and many historical periods they are predominantly English, Roman and Greek, although there are some nice examples from the US such as "Wishes won't wash dishes" which originated in the 17th century and "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a duck" coined in the 1950s. Many proverbs are splendidly colourful and often alliterative. Gems such as "God sends nuts to those who have no teeth" "a nimble ninepence is worth more than a slow shilling" and "he who would not be riled by the rudder must be riled by the rock" make this a delightful, friendly book to browse in. --Susan ElkinRead More