The Routledge Book of World Proverbs
A fish begins to stink at the head. (Greek)
A fish dies because it opens its mouth. (Spanish)
A fish should swim thrice: in water, in sauce, and in wine. (French)
A fish taken from the water is always fresh. (Persian)
A fish who keeps its mouth shut never gets caught. (Jamaican)
A hook’s well lost to catch a salmon. (French)
A rotting fish begins to stink at the head. (Italian)
A small fish has sharp spines. (Korean)
A small fish makes the entire river muddy. (Japanese)
A tiny fish clouds the water of the whole sea. (Korean)
After fish, milk do not wish. (Poor Richard)
All’s fish that comes to the net. (Spanish)
Bargain for fish that are still in the water. (Unknown)
Big fish devour the little ones. (Dutch)
Big fish eat little fish. (Spanish)
Big fish spring out of the kettle. (Dutch)
Don’t climb a tree to look for fish. (Chinese)
Don’t cry fish before they’re caught. (German)
Don’t eat fish in months with no ‘r’ [i.e., the hot months]. (Spanish)
Don’t make your sauce until you have caught the fish. (Unknown)
Don’t stand by the water and long for fish; go home and weave a net. (Chinese)
Every little fish expects to become a whale. (Danish)
Fish do not inhabit clear water. (Japanese)
Fish or cut bait. (American)
Fish swim thrice: in water, batter, and wine. (German)
Fish swim thrice: in water, in hot oil, and in wine. (Spanish)
Great fish are caught in great waters. (German)
Great fish break the net. (Dutch)
Great fish feed on the lesser. (Roman)
He catches the best fish who angles with a golden hook. (Roman)
He fishes on who catches one. (French)
He that lets his fish escape, may cast his net often yet never catch it again. (French)
He that would catch fish, must venture his bait. (Poor Richard)
He who wants to catch fish must not mind getting wet. (Spanish)
If you cannot catch fish, catch shrimps. (Chinese)
If you swear you will catch no fish. (English)
In still water are the largest fish. (Danish)
In the eddies where you least expect it, there will be a fish. (Roman)
In the great sea fish is always to be caught. (Roman)
It is not a fish until it is safely on the bank. (Irish)
It is the fish’s death that has brought it to the market. (Yoruban)
It is the worm that lures the fish, not the fisherman or his tackle. (Yiddish)
Large fish do not live in small ponds. (Japanese)
Listen to the sound of the river and you will get a trout. (Irish)
Little fish are sweet. (Danish)
Little fish make the pike big. (German)
Looking for fish? Don’t climb a tree. (Chinese)
No fishing like fishing in the sea. (French)
Nothing is so clean as a fish. (Welsh)
One must lose a minnow to catch a salmon. (French)
Put your hand into the creel, and take your choice of flounders. (Irish)
Set a sprat to catch a mackerel. (Spanish)
Skilled hands eat trout. (Spanish)
Small fish mingle with big fish. (Japanese)
The angler eats more than he catches. (Spanish)
The best fish swim nearest the bottom. (English)
The big fish is caught with big bait. (West African)
The fish always stinks from the head downwards. (Russian)
The fish one sees is more difficult to catch. (Spanish)
The fish that can swallow a boat will not live in a runlet. (Japanese)
The fish that has slipped away always seems bigger. (Japanese)
The fishing is good in troubled waters. (German)
The hasty angler loses the fish. (Arabian)
The lost fish always looks bigger. (Korean)
The tender-hearted buys a salted fish and sets it free. (Chinese)
There are finer fish in the sea than have ever been caught. (Irish)
There are plenty more fish in the sea. (English)
They that sleep catch no fish. (English)
To catch the fish, empty the sea. (the Editor)
To catch trout, you must get wet. (Spanish)
Unless the water be deep, fish won’t school. (Korean)
Venture a small fish to catch a greater one. (Roman)
Would you teach the fish to swim? (French)
You cannot pull a fish out of the pond without work. (Russian)
You must lose a fly to catch a trout. (Danish)
This is the complete article, containing 715 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
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