Proverbs meaning

What does "One good turn deserves another" mean?

• if someone does you a favour, you should take the chance to repay it.

• Do the opposite of what someone does to you.

• Be nice

• Pay someone back if they do evil to you

What does "The early bird catches the worm" mean?

• The person who takes the earliest opportunity to do something will gain the advantage over others.

• Become a bird and catch the worm.

• If you wake up early, good things will happen to you

What does "When the cat's away, the mice will play" mean?

• People will naturally take advantage of the absence of someone in authority to do as they like.

• When someone in charge leaves, people do as like

• When a captain leaves, people do what's right

What does "Strike when the iron is hot" mean?

• Strike with a hot iron, not a cold iron

• Do not wait until the iron is cold

• Strike when the iron is hot so that you'll be praised

• Make use of an opportunity immediately

What does "Better late than never" mean?

• Going early is worse than being late

• Being late is a good thing, but not going is a bad thing

• It is better to do something or arrive after the expected time than not do it or arrive at all

• Be smart and go to every event you've been invited to go to

What does "Action speaks louder than words" mean?

• If no one can hear you when you speak, then act

• What someone actually does means more than what they say they will do

• If you act, people can hear you

What does "It's better to be safe than sorry" mean?

• If you're safe, you wouldn't have to be sorry

• If you are sorry, then you aren't safe

• It's wiser to be cautious and careful than to be hasty or rash and so do something you may later regret

• It's wiser to be safe because if you're safe, you will be perfect and you wouldn't have to be sorry.

What does "A bird in the hand is worth two in a bush" mean?

• It is better to hold onto something one has than to risk losing it by trying to get something better.

• The bird in your hand is clean, while the two birds in the bush are dirty and could give you a disease

• Do not take more than one valuable thing

• If you take two birds, all the birds will come after you

What does "A bad workman always blames his tools" mean?

• Do not blame people if you are bad, instead, blame yourself

• If you are bad at work, you will find something or someone to put the blame on

• A person who has done something badly will seek to lay the blame on their equipment rather than admit their own lack of skill.

What does "Birds of a feather flock together" mean?

• Birds fly together if they have the same feather

• If people have similar things, they will flock together

• People of the same sort or with the same tastes and interests will be found together