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| A’ are guid lasses, but where do a’ the ill wives come frae? Scotch Proverb. | 1 |
| A’ are no freens that speak us fair. Scotch Proverb. | 2 |
| A aucun les biens viennent en dormant—Good things come to some while asleep. French Proverb. | 3 |
| Ab abusu ad usum non valet consequentia—The abuse of a thing is no argument against its use. Law Maxim. | 4 |
| Ab actu ad posse valet illatio—From what has happened we may infer what may happen. | 5 |
| A bad beginning has a bad, or makes a worse, ending. Proverb. | 6 |
| A bad dog never sees the wolf. Proverb. | 7 |
| A bad thing is dear at any price. Proverb. | 8 |
| Ab alio expectes, alteri quod feceris—As you do to others, you may expect another to do to you. Labertius. | 9 |
| A barren sow was never good to pigs. Proverb. | 10 |
| A bas—Down! down with! French. | 11 |
| A beast that wants discourse of reason. Hamlet, i. 2. | 12 |
| A beau is everything of a woman but the sex, and nothing of a man beside it. Fielding. | 13 |
| A beau jeu beau retour—One good turn deserves another. French Proverb. | 14 |
| A beautiful form is better than a beautiful face, and a beautiful behaviour than a beautiful form. Emerson. | 15 |
| A beautiful object doth so much attract the sight of all men, that it is in no man’s power not to be pleased with it. Clarendon. | 16 |
| A beautiful woman is the “hell” of the soul, the “purgatory” of the purse, and the “paradise” of the eyes. Fontenelle. | 17 |
| A beggarly account of empty boxes. Romeo and Juliet, v. 1. | 18 |
| A beggar’s purse is always empty. Proverb. | 19 |
| A belief in the Bible, the fruit of deep meditation, has served me as the guide of my moral and literary life. I have found it a capital safely invested, and richly productive of interest. Goethe. | 20 |
| Abends wird der Faule fleissig—Towards evening the lazy man begins to be busy. German Proverb. | 21 |
| A beneficent person is like a fountain watering the earth and spreading fertility. Epicurus. | 22 |
| Aberrare a scopo—To miss the mark. | 23 |
| Abeunt studia in mores—Pursuits assiduously prosecuted become habits. | 24 |
| Ab extra—From without. | 25 |
| Abgründe liegen im Gemüthe, die tiefer als die Hölle sind—There are abysses in the mind that are deeper than hell. Platen. | 26 |
| Ab honesto virum bonum nihil deterret—Nothing deters a good man from what honour requires of him. Seneca. | 27 |
| A big head and little wit. Proverb. | 28 |
| Ab igne ignem—Fire from fire. | 29 |
| Abiit, excessit, evasit, erupit—He has left, gone off, escaped, broken away. Cicero of Catiline’s flight. | 30 |
| Ability to discern that what is true is true, and that what is false is false, is the characteristic of intelligence. Swedenborg. | 31 |
| Ab incunabilis—From the cradle. | 32 |
| Ab initio—From the beginning. | 33 |
| Ab inopia ad virtutem obsepta est via—The way from poverty to virtue is an obstructed one. Proverb. | 34 |
| Ab intra—From within. | 35 |
| Ab irato—In a fit of passion. | 36 |
| A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Proverb. | 37 |
| A bis et à blanc—By fits and starts. French. | 38 |
| A bitter and perplex’d “What shall I do?” is worse to man than worst necessity. Schiller. | 39 |
| A black hen will lay a white egg. Proverb. | 40 |
| A blind man should not judge of colours. Proverb. | 41 |
| A blockhead can find more faults than a wise man can mend. Gaelic Proverb. | 42 |
| A blue-stocking despises her duties as a woman, and always begins by making herself a man. Rousseau. | 43 |
| Abnormis sapiens—Wise without learning. Horace. | 44 |
| A bon chat bon rat—A good rat to match a good cat. Tit for tat. Proverb. | 45 |
| A bon chien il ne vient jamais un bon os—A good bone never falls to a good dog. French Proverb. | 46 |
| A bon droit—Justly; according to reason. French. | 47 |
| A bon marché—Cheap. French. | 48 |
| A book may be as great a thing as a battle. Disraeli. | 49 |
| A book should be luminous, but not voluminous. Bovee. | 50 |
| Ab origine—From the beginning. | 51 |
| About Jesus we must believe no one but himself. Amiel. | 52 |
| Above all Greek, above all Roman fame. Pope. | 53 |
| Above all things reverence thyself. Pythagoras. | 54 |
| Above the cloud with its shadow is the star with its light. Victor Hugo. | 55 |
| Ab ovo—From the beginning (lit. from the egg). | 56 |
| Ab ovo usque ad mala—From the beginning to the end (lit. from the egg to the apples). | 57 |
| A bras ouverts—With open arms. French. | 58 |
| A brave man is clear in his discourse, and keeps close to truth. Aristotle. | 59 |
| A brave spirit struggling with adversity is a spectacle for the gods. Seneca. | 60 |
| A breath can make them, as a breath has made. Goldsmith. | 61 |
| Abrégé—Abridgment. French. | 62 |
| Absence lessens weak, and intensifies violent, passions, as wind extinguishes a taper and lights up a fire. La Rochefoucauld. | 63 |
| Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Bayly. | 64 |
| Absence of occupation is not rest; / A mind quite vacant is a mind distress’d. Cowper. | 65 |
| Absens hæres non erit—The absent one will not be the heir. Proverb. | 66 |
| Absent in body, but present in spirit. St. Paul. | 67 |
| Absit invidia—Envy apart. | 68 |
| Absit omen—May the omen augur no evil. | 69 |
| Absolute fiends are as rare as angels, perhaps rarer. J. S. Mill. | 70 |
| Absolute freedom is inhuman. Rahel. | 71 |
| Absolute individualism is an absurdity. Amiel. | 72 |
| Absolute nothing is the aggregate of all the contradictions of the world. Jonathan Edwards. | 73 |
| Absque argento omnia vana—Without money all is vain. | 74 |
| Abstineto a fabis—Having nothing to do with elections (lit. Abstain from beans, the ballot at Athens having been by beans). | 75 |
| Absurdum est ut alios regat, qui seipsum regere nescit—It is absurd that he should govern others, who knows not how to govern himself. Law Maxim. | 76 |
| Abundat dulcibus vitiis—He abounds in charming faults of style. Quintilian. | 77 |
| Ab uno ad omnes—From one to all. Motto. | 78 |
| Ab uno disce omnes—From a single instance you may infer the whole. | 79 |
| Ab urbe condita (A.U.C.)—From the building of the city, i.e., of Rome. | 80 |
| A bureaucracy always tends to become a pedantocracy. J. S. Mill. | 81 |
| A burnt child dreads the fire. Proverb. | 82 |
| Abusus non tollit usum—Abuse is no argument against use. Proverb. | 83 |
| Academical years ought by rights to give occupation to the whole mind. It is this time which, well or ill employed, affects a man’s whole after-life. Goethe. | 84 |
| A cader va chi troppo in alto sale—He who climbs too high is near a fall. Italian Proverb. | 85 |
| A capite ad calcem—From head to heel. | 86 |
| A careless master makes a negligent servant. Proverb. | 87 |
| A carper will cavil at anything. Proverb. | 88 |
| A carrion kite will never make a good hawk. Proverb. | 89 |
| “A cat may look at a king,” but can it see a king when it looks at him? Ruskin. | 90 |
| A causa perduta parole assai—Plenty of words when the cause is lost. Italian Proverb. | 91 |
| Accasca in un punto quel che non accasca in cento anni—That may happen in a moment which may not occur again in a hundred years. Italian Proverb. | 92 |
| Accedas ad curiam—You may go to the court. A writ to remove a case to a higher court. Law Term. | 93 |
| Accensa domo proximi, tua quoque periclitatur—When the house of your neighbour is on fire, your own is in danger. Proverb. | 94 |
| Accent is the soul of speech; it gives it feeling and truth. Rousseau. | 95 |
| Acceptissima semper / Munera sunt, auctor quæ pretiosa facit—Those presents are always the most acceptable which owe their value to the giver. Ovid. | 96 |
| Accident ever varies; substance can never suffer change or decay. William Blake. | 97 |
| Accidents rule men, not men accidents. Herodotus. | 98 |
| Accipe nunc, victus tenuis quid quantaque secum afferat. In primis valeas bene—Now learn what and how great benefits a moderate diet brings with it. Before all, you will enjoy good health. Horace. | 99 |
| Accipere quam facere præstat injuriam—It is better to receive than to do an injury. Cicero. | 100 |
| Acclinis falsis animus meliora recusat—The mind attracted by what is false has no relish for better things. Horace. | 101 |
| Accusare nemo se debet nisi coram Deo—No man is bound to accuse himself unless it be before God. Law Maxim. | 102 |
| Accuse not Nature; she hath done her part; / Do thou thine. Milton. | 103 |
| Acer et vehemens bonus orator—A good orator is pointed and impassioned. Cicero. | 104 |
| Acerrima proximorum odia—The hatred of those most closely connected with us is the bitterest. Tacitus. | 105 |
| Acerrimus ex omnibus nostris sensibus est sensus videndi—The keenest of all our senses is the sense of sight. Cicero. | 106 |
| A certain degree of soul is indispensable to save us the expense of salt. Ben Jonson. | 107 |
| A certain tendency to insanity has always attended the opening of the religious sense in men, as if they had been “blasted with excess of light.” Emerson. | 108 |
| A chacun selon sa capacité, à chaque capacité selon ses œuvres—Every one according to his talent, and every talent according to its works. French Proverb. | 109 |
| A chacun son fardeau pèse—Every one thinks his own burden heavy. French Proverb. | 110 |
| A change came o’er the spirit of my dream. Byron. | 111 |
| A chaque fou plait sa marotte—Every fool is pleased with his own hobby. French Proverb. | 112 |
| A character is a completely-fashioned will. Novalis. | 113 |
| Ach! aus dem Glück entwickelt sich Schmerz—Alas! that from happiness there so often springs pain. Goethe. | 114 |
| A cheerful life is what the Muses love; / A soaring spirit is their prime delight. Wordsworth. | 115 |
| Acheruntis pabulum—Food for Acheron. Plautus. | 116 |
| Ach! es geschehen keine Wunder mehr—Alas! there are no more any miracles. Schiller. | 117 |
| A child is a Cupid become visible. Novalis. | 118 |
| A child may have too much of its mother’s blessing. Proverb. | 119 |
| A chill air surrounds those who are down in the world. George Eliot. | 120 |
| A chip of the old block. | 121 |
| A Christian is God Almighty’s gentleman. Hare. | 122 |
| Ach! unsre Thaten selbst, so gut als unsre Leiden / Sie hemmen unsers Lebens Gang—We are hampered, alas! in our course of life quite as much by what we do as by what we suffer. Goethe. | 123 |
| Ach! vielleicht indem wir hoffen / Hat uns Unheil getroffen—Ah! perhaps while we are hoping, mischief has already overtaken us. Schiller. | 124 |
| Ach wie glücklich sind die Todten!—Ah! how happy the dead are! Schiller. | 125 |
| Ach! zu des Geistes Flügeln, wird so leicht kein körperlicher Flügel sich gesellen—Alas! no fleshly pinion will so easily keep pace with the wings of the spirit. Goethe. | 126 |
| A circulating library in a town is an ever-green tree of diabolical knowledge. Sheridan. | 127 |
| A circumnavigator of the globe is less influenced by all the nations he has seen than by his nurse. Jean Paul. | 128 |
| A clear conscience is a sure card. Proverb. | 129 |
| A cock aye craws crousest (boldest) on his ain midden-head. Scotch Proverb. | 130 |
| A cœur ouvert—With open heart; with candour. French. | 131 |
| A cœur vaillant rien d’impossible—To a valiant heart nothing is impossible. French Proverb. | 132 |
| A cold hand, a warm heart. Proverb. | 133 |
| A combination and a form, indeed / Where every god did seem to set his seal / To give the world assurance of a man. Hamlet, iii. 4. | 134 |
| A’ complain o’ want o’ siller; nane o’ want o’ sense. Scotch Proverb. | 135 |
| A compte—In part payment (lit. on account). French. | 136 |
| A confesseurs, médecins, avocats, la vérité ne cèle de ton cas—Do not conceal the truth from confessors, doctors, and lawyers. French Proverb. | 137 |
| A conscience without God is a tribunal without a judge. Lamartine. | 138 |
| A consistent man believes in destiny, a capricious man in chance. Disraeli. | 139 |
| A constant fidelity in small things is a great and heroic virtue. Bonaventura. | 140 |
| A constant friend is a thing hard and rare to find. Plutarch. | 141 |
| A contre cœur—Against the grain. French. | 142 |
| A corps perdu—With might and main. French. | 143 |
| A countenance more in sorrow than in anger. Hamlet, i. 2. | 144 |
| A courage to endure and to obey. Tennyson. | 145 |
| A couvert—Under cover. French. | 146 |
| Acqua lontana non spegne fuoco vicino—Water afar won’t quench a fire at hand. Italian Proverb. | 147 |
| A crafty knave needs no broker. Proverb. quoted in Henry VI. | 148 |
| A craw’s nae whiter for being washed. Scotch Proverb. | 149 |
| A creation of importance can be produced only when its author isolates himself; it is ever a child of solitude. Goethe. | 150 |
| Acribus initiis, incurioso fine—Full of ardour at the beginning, careless at the end. Tacitus. | 151 |
| A critic should be a pair of snuffers. He is often an extinguisher, and not seldom a thief. Hare. | 152 |
| A crowd is not company. Bacon. | 153 |
| A crown / Golden in show, is but a wreath of thorns. Milton. | 154 |
| A crown is no cure for the headache. Proverb. | 155 |
| A cruce salus—Salvation from the cross. Motto. | 156 |
| A cruel story runs on wheels, and every hand oils the wheels as they run. Ouida. | 157 |
| A crust of bread and liberty. Pope. | 158 |
| Acta exteriora indicant interiora secreta—Outward acts betray the secret intention. Law Maxim. | 159 |
| Act always so that the immediate motive of thy will may become a universal rule for all intelligent beings. Kant. | 160 |
| Acti labores jucundi—The remembrance of past labours is pleasant. | 161 |
| Action can be understood and again represented by the spirit alone. Goethe. | 162 |
| Action is but coarsened thought. Amiel. | 163 |
| Action is the right outlet of emotion. Ward Beecher. | 164 |
| Actions speak louder than words. Proverb. | 165 |
| Actis ævum implet, non segnibus annis—His lifetime is full of deeds, not of indolent years. Ovid. | 166 |
| Activity is the presence, and character the record, of function. Greenough. | 167 |
| Actum est de republicâ—It is all over with the republic. | 168 |
| Actum ne agas—What has been done don’t do over again. Cicero. | 169 |
| Actus Dei nemini facit injuriam—The act of God does wrong to no man. Law Maxim. | 170 |
| Actus legis nulli facit injuriam—The act of the law does wrong to no man. Maxim. | 171 |
| Actus me invito factus, non est meus actus.—An act I do against my will is not my act. Law Maxim. | 172 |
| Actus non facit reum, nisi mens sit rea—The act does not make a man guilty, unless the mind be guilty. Law Maxim. | 173 |
| Act well your part; there all the honour lies. Pope. | 174 |
| A cuspide corona—From the spear a crown, i.e., honour for military exploits. Motto. | 175 |
| A custom / More honoured in the breach than the observance. Hamlet, i. 4. | 176 |
| Adam muss eine Eve haben, die er zeiht was er gethan—Adam must have an Eve, to blame for what he has done. German Proverb. | 177 |
| Ad amussim—Made exactly by rule. | 178 |
| A danger foreseen is half avoided. Proverb. | 179 |
| Adaptiveness is the peculiarity of human nature. Emerson. | 180 |
| Ad aperturam—Wherever a book may be opened. | 181 |
| Ad arbitrium—At pleasure. | 182 |
| Ad astra per ardua—To the stars by steep paths. Motto. | 183 |
| A Daniel come to judgment. Mer. of Ven., iv. 1. | 184 |
| Ad avizandum—Into consideration. Scots Law. | 185 |
| A day may sink or save a realm. Tennyson. | 186 |
| A day of grace (Gunst) is as a day in harvest; one must be diligent as soon as it is ripe. Goethe. | 187 |
| A day wasted on others is not wasted on one’s self. Dickens. | 188 |
| Ad calamitatem quilibet rumor valet—When a disaster happens, every report confirming it obtains ready credence. | 189 |
| Ad captandum vulgus—To catch the rabble. | 190 |
| Addere legi justitiam decus—It is to one’s honour to combine justice with law. Motto. | 191 |
| A death-bed repentance seldom reaches to restitution. Junius. | 192 |
| A deep meaning resides in old customs. Schiller. | 193 |
| A democracy is a state in which the government rests directly with the majority of the citizens. Ruskin. | 194 |
| A Deo et rege—From God and the king. Motto. | 195 |
| Adeo in teneris consuescere multum est—So much depends on habit in the tender years of youth. Virgil. | 196 |
| Ad eundem—To the same degree. Said of a graduate passing from one university to another. | 197 |
| Ad extremum—At last. | 198 |
| Ad finem—To the end. | 199 |
| Ad Græcas kalendas—At the Greek calends, i.e., never. | 200 |
| Ad gustum—To one’s taste. | 201 |
| Adhibenda est in jocando moderatio—Moderation should be used in joking. Cicero. | 202 |
| Ad hoc—For this purpose. | 203 |
| Ad hominem—Personal (lit. to the man). | 204 |
| Adhuc sub judice lis est—The affair is not yet decided. | 205 |
| Adhuc tua messis in herba est—Your crop is still in grass. Ovid. | 206 |
| A die—From that day. | 207 |
| Adieu la voiture, adieu la boutique—Adieu to the carriage, adieu to the shop, i.e., to the business. French Proverb. | 208 |
| Adieu, paniers! vendanges sont faites—Farewell, baskets! vintage is over. French. | 209 |
| Ad infinitum—To infinity. | 210 |
| Ad interim—Meanwhile. | 211 |
| Ad internecionem—To extermination. | 212 |
| A Dio spiacente ed a’ nemici sui—Hateful to God and the enemies of God. Dante. | 213 |
| A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando—Praying to God and smiling with the hammer. Spanish Proverb. | 214 |
| A discrétion—Without any restriction (lit. at discretion). French. | 215 |
| Ad libitum—At pleasure. | 216 |
| Ad majorem Dei gloriam—To the greater glory of God. Motto of the Jesuits. | 217 |
| Ad mala quisque animum referat sua—Let each recall his own woes. Ovid. | 218 |
| Admiration praises; love is dumb. Borne. | 219 |
| Ad modum—In the manner. | 220 |
| Ad nauseam—To disgust; sickening. | 221 |
| Ad ogni santo la sua torcia—To every saint his own torch, i.e., his place of honour. Italian Proverb. | 222 |
| Ad ogni uocello suo nido è bello—Every bird thinks its own nest beautiful. Italian Proverb. | 223 |
| Ad ognuno par più grave la croce sua—Every one thinks his own cross the hardest to bear. Italian Proverb. | 224 |
| A dog’s life—hunger and ease. | 225 |
| A dog winna yowl if you fell him wi’ a bane. Scotch Proverb. | 226 |
| Adolescentem verecundum esse decet—A young man ought to be modest. Plautus. | 227 |
| Ad omnem libidinem projectus homo—A man addicted to every lust. | 228 |
| Adó sacan y non pon, presto llegan al hondon—By ever taking out and never putting in, one soon reaches the bottom. Spanish Proverb. | 229 |
| Ad patres—Dead; to death (lit. to the fathers). | 230 |
| A downright contradiction is equally mysterious to wise men as to fools. Goethe. | 231 |
| Ad perditam securim manubrium adjicere—To throw the helve after the hatchet, i.e., to give up in despair. | 232 |
| Ad perniciem solet agi sinceritas—Honesty is often goaded to ruin. Phædrus. | 233 |
| Ad pœnitendum properat, cito qui judicat—He who decides in haste repents in haste. Publius Syrus. | 234 |
| Ad populum phaleras, ego te intus et in cute novi—To the vulgar herd with your trappings; for me, I know you both inside and out. Persius. | 235 |
| Ad quæstionem legis respondent judices, ad quæstionem facti respondent juratores—It is the judge’s business to answer to the question of law, the jury’s to answer to the question of fact. Law. | 236 |
| Ad quod damnum—To what damage. Law. | 237 |
| Ad referendum—For further consideration. | 238 |
| Ad rem—To the point (lit. to the thing). | 239 |
| A droit—To the right. French. | 240 |
| A drop of honey catches more flies than a hogshead of vinegar. Proverb. | 241 |
| A drop of water has all the properties of water, but it cannot exhibit a storm. Emerson. | 242 |
| A drowning man will catch at a straw. Proverb. | 243 |
| Adscriptus glebæ—Attached to the soil. | 244 |
| Adsit regula, peccatis quæ pœnas irroget æquas—Have a rule apportioning to each offence its appropriate penalty. Horace. | 245 |
| Adstrictus necessitate—Bound by necessity. Cicero. | 246 |
| Ad summum—To the highest point. | 247 |
| Ad tristem partem strenua est suspicio—One is quick to suspect where one has suffered harm before. Publius Syrus. | 248 |
| Ad unguem—To a nicety (lit. to the nail). | 249 |
| Ad unum omnes—All to a (lit. one) man. | 250 |
| A dur âne dur aiguillon—A hard goad for a stubborn ass. French Proverb. | 251 |
| Ad utrumque paratus—Prepared for either case. | 252 |
| Ad valorem—According to the value. | 253 |
| Advantage is a better soldier than rashness. Henry V., iii. 6. | 254 |
| Adversa virtute repello—I repel adversity by valour. Motto. | 255 |
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