| |
| Be strong, and quit yourselves like men. Bible. | 1754 |
| Best time is present time. Proverb. | 1755 |
| Be substantially great in thyself, and more than thou appearest unto others. Sir Thomas Browne. | 1756 |
| Be sure you can obey good laws before you seek to alter bad ones. Ruskin. | 1757 |
| Be sure your sin will find you out. Bible. | 1758 |
| Be swift to hear, slow to speak. Proverb. | 1759 |
| Bête noir—An eyesore; a bugbear (lit. a black beast). French. | 1760 |
| Beter eens in den hemel dan tienmaal aan de deur—Better once in heaven than ten times at the door. Dutch Proverb. | 1761 |
| Be thankful for your ennui; it is your last mark of manhood. Carlyle. | 1762 |
| Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Hamlet, iii. 1. | 1763 |
| Be thou assured, if words be made of breath, / And breath of life, I have no life to breathe / What thou hast said to me. Hamlet, iii. 4. | 1764 |
| Be thou faithful unto death. St. John. | 1765 |
| Bêtise—Folly; piece of folly. Proverb. | 1766 |
| Be to her virtues very kind; / Be to her faults a little blind. Prior. | 1767 |
| Betrogene Betrüger—The deceiver deceived. Lessing. | 1768 |
| Betrügen und betrogen werden, / Nichts ist gewöhnlicher auf Erden—Nothing is more common on earth than to deceive and be deceived. Seume. | 1769 |
| Betrug war Alles, Lug, und Schein—All was deception, a lie, and illusion. Goethe. | 1770 |
| Bettelsack ist bodenlos—The beggar’s bag has no bottom. German Proverb. | 1771 |
| Better a blush in the face than a blot in the heart. Cervantes. | 1772 |
| Better a child should be ignorant of a thousand truths than have consecrated in its heart a single lie. Ruskin. | 1773 |
| Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one. Chinese Proverb. | 1774 |
| Better a fortune in a wife than with a wife. Proverb. | 1775 |
| Better a fremit freend than a freend fremit—i.e., a stranger for a friend than a friend turned stranger. Scotch Proverb. | 1776 |
| Better a living dog than a dead lion. Proverb. | 1777 |
| Better an egg to-day than a hen to-morrow. Proverb. | 1778 |
| Better an end with terror than a terror without end. Schiller. | 1779 |
| Better a toom (empty) house than an ill tenant. Scotch Proverb. | 1780 |
| Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. Twelfth Night, i. 5. | 1781 |
| Better bairns greet (weep) than bearded men. Scotch Proverb. | 1782 |
| Better be at the end o’ a feast than the beginning o’ a fray. Scotch Proverb. | 1783 |
| Better be a nettle in the side of your friend than his echo. Emerson. | 1784 |
| Better be a poor fisherman than have to do with the governing of men. Danton. | 1785 |
| Better be disagreeable in a sort than altogether insipid. Goethe. | 1786 |
| Better be idle than ill employed. Scotch Proverb. | 1787 |
| Better bend than break. Proverb. | 1788 |
| Better be persecuted than shunned. Ebers. | 1789 |
| Better be poor than wicked. Proverb. | 1790 |
| Better be unborn than untaught. Gaelic Proverb. | 1791 |
| Better buy than borrow. Proverb. | 1792 |
| Better deny at once than promise long. Proverb. | 1793 |
| Better far off, than—near, be ne’er the near’. Richard II., v. 1. | 1794 |
| Better far to die in the old harness than to try to put on another. J. G. Holland. | 1795 |
| Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay. Tennyson. | 1796 |
| Better go back than go wrong. Proverb. | 1797 |
| Better go to bed supperless than rise in debt. Scotch Proverb. | 1798 |
| Better haud (hold on) wi’ the hound than rin wi’ the hare. Scotch Proverb. | 1799 |
| Better is an ass that carries us than a horse that throws us. J. G. Holland. | 1800 |
| Better it is to be envied than pitied. Proverb. | 1801 |
| Better keep the deil oot than hae to turn him oot. Scotch Proverb. | 1802 |
| Better keep weel than mak’ weel. Scotch Proverb. | 1803 |
| Better knot straws than do nothing. Gaelic Proverb. | 1804 |
| Better lose a jest than a friend. Proverb. | 1805 |
| Better mad with all the world than wise all alone. French Proverb. | 1806 |
| Better my freen’s think me fremit as fasheous—i.e., strange rather than troublesome. Scotch Proverb. | 1807 |
| Better never begin than never make an end. Proverb. | 1808 |
| Better not be at all / Than not be noble. Tennyson. | 1809 |
| Better not read books in which you make the acquaintance of the devil. Niebuhr. | 1810 |
| Better one-eyed than stone-blind. Proverb. | 1811 |
| Better one living word than a hundred dead ones. German Proverb. | 1812 |
| Better rue sit than rue flit—i.e., regret remaining than regret removing. Scotch Proverb. | 1813 |
| Better say nothing than nothing to the purpose. Proverb. | 1814 |
| Better sit still than rise and fa’. Scotch Proverb. | 1815 |
| Better sma’ fish than nane. Scotch Proverb. | 1816 |
| Better suffer for truth than prosper by falsehood. Danish Proverb. | 1817 |
| Better ten guilty escape than one innocent man suffer. Proverb. | 1818 |
| Better that people should laugh at one while they instruct, than that they should praise without benefiting. Goethe. | 1819 |
| Better the ill ken’d than the ill unken’d—i.e., the ill we know than the ill we don’t know. Scotch Proverb. | 1820 |
| Better the world know you as a sinner than God as a hypocrite. Danish Proverb. | 1821 |
| Better to ask than go astray. Proverb. | 1822 |
| Better to get wisdom than gold. Bible. | 1823 |
| Better to hunt in fields for health unbought, / Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught. / The wise for cure on exercise depend; / God never made his work for man to mend. Dryden. | 1824 |
| Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. Milton. | 1825 |
| Better to say “Here it is” than “Here it was.” Proverb. | 1826 |
| Better understand the world than condemn it. Gaelic Proverb. | 1827 |
| Better untaught than ill taught. Proverb. | 1828 |
| Better wear out than rust out. Bishop Cumberland. | 1829 |
| Better wear shoon (shoes) than sheets. Scotch Proverb. | 1830 |
| Better wrong with the many than right with the few. Portuguese Proverb. | 1831 |
| Between a woman’s “Yes” and “No” you may insert the point of a needle. German Proverb. | 1832 |
| Between saying and doing there’s a long road. Proverb. | 1833 |
| Between the acting of a dreadful thing / And the first motion, all the interim is / Like a phantasma or a hideous dream. Julius Cæsar, ii. 1. | 1834 |
| Between the deil and the deep sea. Scotch Proverb. | 1835 |
| Between us and hell or heaven there is nothing but life, which of all things is the frailest. Pascal. | 1836 |
| Beware, my lord, of jealousy; / It is the green-eyed monster that doth mock / The meat it feeds on. Othello, iii. 3. | 1837 |
| Beware of a silent dog and still water. Proverb. | 1838 |
| Beware of a silent man and a dog that does not bark. Proverb. | 1839 |
| Beware of a talent which you cannot hope to cultivate to perfection. Goethe. | 1840 |
| Beware / Of entrance to a quarrel; but, being in, / Bear ’t that the opposed may beware of thee. Hamlet, i. 3. | 1841 |
| Beware of false prophets. Jesus. | 1842 |
| Beware of “Had I wist.” Proverb. | 1843 |
| Beware of one who has nothing to lose. Italian Proverb. | 1844 |
| Beware of too much good staying in your hand. Emerson. | 1845 |
| Beware the fury of a patient man. Dryden. | 1846 |
| Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet. Emerson. | 1847 |
| Be warned by thy good angel and not ensnared by thy bad one. Bürger. | 1848 |
| Be wisely worldly; be not worldly wise. Quarles. | 1849 |
| Be wise to-day; ’tis madness to defer. Young. | 1850 |
| Be wise with speed; / A fool at forty is a fool indeed. Young. | 1851 |
| Bewunderung verdient ein Wunder wohl, / Doch scheint ein Weib kein echtes Weib zu sein, / So bald es nur Bewunderung verdient—What is admirable justly calls forth our admiration, yet a woman seems to be no true woman who calls forth nothing else. Platen. | 1852 |
| Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Jesus. | 1853 |
| Bezwingt des Herzens Bitterkeit. Es bringt / Nicht gute Frucht, wenn Hass dem Hass begegnet—Control the heart’s bitterness. Nothing good comes of returning hatred for hatred. Schiller. | 1854 |
| Bibula charta—Blotting-paper. | 1855 |
| Bien dire fait rire; bien faire fait taire—Saying well makes us laugh; doing well makes us silent. French Proverb. | 1856 |
| Bien est larron qui larron dérobe—He is a thief with a witness who robs another. French Proverb. | 1857 |
| Bien nourri et mal appris—Well fed but ill taught. French Proverb. | 1858 |
| Bien perdu bien connu—We know the worth of a thing when we have lost it. French. | 1859 |
| Bien predica quien bien vive—He preaches well who lives well. Spanish Proverb. | 1860 |
| Bien sabe el asno en cuya cara rabozna—The ass knows well in whose face he brays. Spanish Proverb. | 1861 |
| Bien sabe el sabio que no sabe, el nescio piensa que sabe—The wise man knows well that he does not know; the ignorant man thinks he knows. Spanish Proverb. | 1862 |
| Bien sabe la vulpeja con quien trebeja—The fox knows well with whom he plays tricks. Spanish Proverb. | 1863 |
| Bien vengas, mal, si vienes solo—Welcome, misfortune, if thou comest alone. Spanish Proverb. | 1864 |
| Bien vient à mieux, et mieux à mal—Good comes to better and better to bad. French Proverb. | 1865 |
| Big destinies of nations or of persons are not founded gratis in this world. Carlyle. | 1866 |
| Bigotry murders religion, to frighten fools with her ghost. Colton. | 1867 |
| Big words seldom accompany good deeds. Danish Proverb. | 1868 |
| Billet-doux—A love-letter. French. | 1869 |
| Biography is the most universally pleasant, the most universally profitable, of all reading. Carlyle. | 1870 |
| Biography is the only true history. Carlyle. | 1871 |
| Birds of a feather flock together. Proverb. | 1872 |
| Birds of prey do not flock together. Portuguese Proverb. | 1873 |
| Birth is much, but breeding is more. Proverb. | 1874 |
| Bis dat qui cito dat—He gives twice who gives quickly. Latin Proverb. | 1875 |
| Bis est gratum quod opus est, si ultro offeras—That help is doubly acceptable which you offer spontaneously when we stand in need. Publius Syrus. | 1876 |
| Bis interimitur qui suis armis perit—He dies twice who perishes by his own weapons or devices. Publius Syrus. | 1877 |
| Bisogna amar l’amico con i suoi difetti—We must love our friend with all his defects. Italian Proverb. | 1878 |
| Bis peccare in bello non licet—It is not permitted to blunder in war a second time. Proverb. | 1879 |
| Bist du Amboss, sei geduldig; bist du Hammer, schlage hart—Art thou anvil, be patient; art thou hammer, strike hard. German Proverb. | 1880 |
| Bist du ein Mensch? so fühle meine Noth—Art thou a man? then feel for my wretchedness. Margaret in “Faust.” | 1881 |
| Bist du mit dem Teufel du und du, / Und willst dich vor der Flamme scheuen?—Art thou on familiar terms with the devil, and wilt thou shy at the flame? Goethe’s “Faust.” | 1882 |
| Bis vincit qui se vincit in victoria—He conquers twice who, at the moment of victory, conquers (i.e., restrains) himself. Publius Syrus. | 1883 |
| Bitin’ and scartin’ ’s Scotch folk’s wooing. Scotch Proverb. | 1884 |
| Black detraction will find faults where they are not. Massinger. | 1885 |
| Blame is the lazy man’s wages. Danish Proverb. | 1886 |
| Blame where you must, be candid where you can, / And be each critic the good-natured man. Goldsmith. | 1887 |
| Blanc-bec—A greenhorn. French. | 1888 |
| Blasen ist nicht flöten; ihr musst die Finger bewegen—To blow on the flute is not to play on it; you must move the fingers as well. Goethe. | 1889 |
| Blasphemy is wishing ill to anything, and its outcome wishing ill to God; while Euphemy is wishing well to everything, and its outcome wishing well to—“Ah, wad ye tak’ a thocht, and men’.” Ruskin. | 1890 |
| Blasted with excess of light. Gray. | 1891 |
| Bleib nicht allein, denn in der Wüste trat / Der Satansengel selbst dem Herrn des Himmels—Remain not alone, for it was in the desert that Satan came to the Lord of Heaven himself. Schiller. | 1892 |
| Bless, and curse not. St. Paul. | 1893 |
| Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Jesus. | 1894 |
| Blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it. Bible. | 1895 |
| Blessed be he who first invented sleep; it covers a man all over like a cloak. Cervantes. | 1896 |
| Blessed be nothing. Proverb. | 1897 |
| Blessed is he that considereth the poor. Bible. | 1898 |
| Blessed is he that continueth where he is; here let us rest and lay out seed-fields; here let us learn to dwell. Carlyle. | 1899 |
| Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed. Swift. | 1900 |
| Blessed is he who is made happy by the sound of a rat-tat. Thackeray. | 1901 |
| Blessed is the man that endureth temptation. St. James. | 1902 |
| Blessed is the voice that, amid dispiritment, stupidity, and contradiction, proclaims to us, Euge! (i.e., Excellent! Bravo!). Carlyle. | 1903 |
| Blessedness is a whole eternity older than damnation. Jean Paul. | 1904 |
| Blessings are upon the head of the just. Bible. | 1905 |
| Blinder Eifer schadet nur—Blind zeal only does harm. M. G. Lichtwer. | 1906 |
| Blinder Gaul geht geradezu—A blind horse goes right on. German Proverb. | 1907 |
| Blindfold zeal can do nothing but harm—harm everywhere, and harm always. Lichtner. | 1908 |
| Bloemen zijn geen vruchten—Blossoms are not fruits. Dutch Proverb. | 1909 |
| Blood is thicker than water. Proverb. | 1910 |
| Blosse Intelligenz ohne correspondirende Energie des Wollens ist ein blankes Schwert in der Scheide, verächtlich, wenn es nie und nimmer gezückt wird—Mere intelligence without corresponding energy of the will is a polished sword in its scabbard, contemptible, if it is never drawn forth. Lindner. | 1911 |
| Blow, blow, thou winter wind, / Thou art not so unkind / As man’s ingratitude. As You Like It, ii. 7. | 1912 |
| Blow, wind! come, wrack! / At least we’ll die with harness on our back. Macbeth, v. 5. | 1913 |
| Blue are the hills that are far from us. Gaelic Proverb. | 1914 |
| Blunt edges rive hard knots. Troil. and Cress., i. 3. | 1915 |
| Blushes are badges of imperfection. Wycherley. | 1916 |
| Blut ist ein ganz besondrer Saft—Blood is a quite peculiar fluid. Mephistopheles in “Faust.” | 1917 |
| Boca de mel, coraçaõ de fel—A tongue of honey, a heart of gall. Portuguese Proverb. | 1918 |
| Boca que diz sim, diz naõ—The mouth that can say “Yea,” can say “Nay.” Portuguese Proverb. | 1919 |
| Bodily exercise profiteth little. St. Paul. | 1920 |
| Bœotum in crasso jurares aëre natum—You would swear he was born in the foggy atmosphere of the Bœotians. Horace. | 1921 |
| Boiz ont oreilles et champs œillets—Woods have ears and fields eyes. French Proverb. | 1922 |
| Bole com o rabo o caõ, naõ por ti, senaõ pelo paõ—The dog wags his tail, not for you, but for your bread. Portuguese Proverb. | 1923 |
| Bon accord—Good harmony. Motto. | 1924 |
| Bonæ leges malts ex moribus procreantur—Good laws grow out of evil acts. Macrobius. | 1925 |
| Bona fide—In good faith; in reality. | 1926 |
| Bona malis paria non sunt, etiam pari numero; nec lætitia ulla minimo mœrore pensanda—The blessings of life do not equal its ills, even when of equal number; nor can any pleasure, however intense, compensate for even the slightest pain. Pliny. | 1927 |
| Bona nemini hora est, ut non alicui sit mala—There is no hour good for one man that is not bad for another. Publius Syrus. | 1928 |
| Bonarum rerum consuetudo est pessima—Nothing can be worse than being accustomed to good things. Publius Syrus. | 1929 |
| Bona vacantia—Goods that have no owner. Law. | 1930 |
| Bon avocat, mauvais voisin—A good lawyer is a bad neighbour. French Proverb. | 1931 |
| Bon bourgeois—A substantial citizen. French. | 1932 |
| Bon chien chasse de race—A good dog hunts from pure instinct. French Proverb. | 1933 |
| Bon diable—A good-natured fellow. French. | 1934 |
| Bon droit a besoin d’aide—A good cause needs help. French Proverb. | 1935 |
| Bon gré, mal gré—Whether willing or not. French. | 1936 |
| Bon guet chasse maladventure—A good look-out drives ill-luck away. French Proverb. | 1937 |
| Bonne épée point querelleur—A good swordsman is not given to quarrel. French Proverb. | 1938 |
| Bonne est la maille que sauve le denier—Good is the farthing that saves the penny. French Proverb. | 1939 |
| Bonhomie—Good nature. French. | 1940 |
| Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere—It is the duty of a good shepherd to shear his sheep, not to flay them. Tiberius Cæsar, in reference to taxation. | 1941 |
| Bonis avibus—Under favourable auspices. | 1942 |
| Bonis nocet quisquis pepercerit malis—He does injury to the good who spares the bad. Publius Syrus. | 1943 |
| Bonis omnia bona—All things are good to the good. Motto. | 1944 |
| Bonis quod benefit haud perit—A kindness done to good men is never thrown away. Plautus. | 1945 |
| Bonis vel malis avibus—Under good, or evil, omens. | 1946 |
| Bon jour—Good day. French. | 1947 |
| Bon jour, bonne œuvre—The better the day, the better the deed. French Proverb. | 1948 |
| Bon marché tire l’argent hors de la bourse—A good bargain is a pick-purse. French Proverb. | 1949 |
| Bon mot—A witticism or jest. French. | 1950 |
| Bon naturel—Good nature or disposition. French. | 1951 |
| Bonne—A nurse. French. | 1952 |
| Bonne bouche—A delicate morsel. French. | 1953 |
| Bonne et belle assez—Good and handsome enough. French Motto. | 1954 |
| Bonne journée fait qui de fol se délivre—He who rids himself of a fool does a good day’s work. French Proverb. | 1955 |
| Bonne renommée vaut mieux que ceinture dorée—A good name is worth more than a girdle of gold. French Proverb. | 1956 |
| Bonnet rouge—The cap of liberty. French. | 1957 |
| Bonnie feathers mak’ bonnie fowls. Scotch Proverb. | 1958 |
| Bon poète, mauvais homme—Good as a poet, bad as a man. French. | 1959 |
| Bon sang ne peut mentir—Good blood disdains to lie. French Proverb. | 1960 |
| Bons et máos mantem cidade—Good men and bad make a city. Portuguese Proverb. | 1961 |
| Bons mots n’épargnent nuls—Witticisms spare nobody. French Proverb. | 1962 |
| Bon soir—Good evening. French. | 1963 |
| Bon ton—The height of fashion. French. | 1964 |
| Bonum ego quam beatum me esse nimio dici mavolo—I would much rather be called good than well off. Plautus. | 1965 |
| Bonum est fugienda aspicere in alieno malo—Well if we see in the misfortune of another what we should shun ourselves. Publius Syrus. | 1966 |
| Bonum est, pauxillum amare sane, insane non bonum est—It is good to be moderately sane in love; to be madly in love is not good. Plautus. | 1967 |
| Bonum summum quo tendimus omnes—That supreme good at which we all aim. Lucretius. | 1968 |
| Bonus animus in mala re dimidium est mali—Good courage in a bad affair is half of the evil overcome. Plautus. | 1969 |
| Bonus atque fidus / Judex honestum prætulit utili—A good and faithful judge ever prefers the honourable to the expedient. Horace. | 1970 |
| Bonus dux bonum reddit militem—The good general makes good soldiers. Latin Proverb. | 1971 |
| Bonus vir semper tiro—A good man is always a learner. | 1972 |
| Bon vivant—A good liver. French. | 1973 |
| Bon voyage—A pleasant journey or voyage. French. | 1974 |
| Books are divisible into two classes, the books of the hour and the books of all time. Ruskin. | 1975 |
| Books are embalmed minds. Bovee. | 1976 |
| Books are made from books. Voltaire. | 1977 |
| Books cannot always please, however good; / Minds are not ever craving for their food. Crabbe. | 1978 |
| Books generally do little else than give our errors names. Goethe. | 1979 |
| Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen. Joineriana. | 1980 |
| Books still accomplish miracles; they persuade men. Carlyle. | 1981 |
| Books, we know, / Are a substantial world, pure and good. Wordsworth. | 1982 |
| Boomen die men veel verplant gedijen zelden—Trees you transplant often, seldom thrive. Dutch Proverb. | 1983 |
| Borgen thut nur einmal wohl—Borrowing does well only once. German Proverb. | 1984 |
| Born to excel and to command! Congreve. | 1985 |
| Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Cicero. | 1986 |
| Borrowing is not much better than begging; just as lending on interest is not much better than stealing. Lessing. | 1987 |
| Bos alienus subinde prospectat foras—A strange ox every now and then turns its eyes wistfully to the door. Proverb. | 1988 |
| Böser Brunnen, da man Wasser muss eintragen—It is a bad well into which you must pour water. German Proverb. | 1989 |
| Böser Pfennig kommt immer wieder—A bad penny always comes back again. German Proverb. | 1990 |
| Bos in lingua—He has an ox on his tongue, i.e., a bribe to keep silent, certain coins in Athens being stamped with an ox. Proverb. | 1991 |
| Bos lassus fortius figit pedem—The tired ox plants his foot more firmly. Proverb. | 1992 |
| Botschaft hör’ ich wohl, allein mir fehlt der Glaube—I hear the message indeed, but I want the faith. Goethe’s “Faust.” | 1993 |
| [Greek]—Before the act consider, so that nothing foolish may arise out of it. Greek Proverb. | 1994 |
| Bought wit is best—i.e., bought by experience. Proverb. | 1995 |
| Boutez en avant—Push forward. French. | 1996 |
| Bowels of compassion. St. John. | 1997 |
| Brag is a good dog, but Holdfast is better. Proverb. | 1998 |
| Brain is always to be bought, but passion never comes to market. Lowell. | 1999 |
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