Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Is this an English proverb? What does it mean?

"Nobody knows were the hobo goes but Jesus"

Thanks a lot and Merry Christmas to all.
Hela

[bud]

Hi Hela,

I've never heard of it, but it sure sounds like a proverb. One possible meaning is don't judge others, similar to, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

Hope that helps.

[hela]

Hi Bud,

Should it be: "No one but God knows where the hobo goes" ?

Bye.
Hela

[bud]

Are you questioning the grammar or the use of "Jesus" rather than "God?" Your new sentence also reads like a proverb, but I like the first way a little better. It just sounds a tad more like a proverb. I also think either "Jesus" or "God" works well. "Jesus" makes sense for Christians, while "God" works well for many other religions as well.

[hela]

Hi Bud,

In fact, I was just trying to get the saying correct. I have no idea about it myself.

Is there somebody out there who knows something about the matter?

Look forward to hearing from you,
Hela

[Teacher Dian]

Dear Hela,

Where did you hear or read this saying?

I, too, have never heard of it.
A search on Google also turned up nothing, (except, interestingly enough, some other language learner asking about it on a German ESL board).

All the best,
Teacher Dian

[hela]

Hello everyone,

Would you please give me the meaning of these sayings? Are the first two proverbs?

1) To carry coals to Newcastle.

2) a) To him that has shall more be given.
(= The more we have, the more we get? or something like that?)

Is it the same as:
b) Money makes money?

3) Still waters run deep.

4) You can't have your cat and eat it.

Thank you.

Regards,
Hela

[bud]

Hi Hela,

I'm not sure about the first two, so I'll leave them for someone else. They are proverbs, but I'm not sure if they're exactly correct.

3. This is often said of someone who is quiet by nature, or of someone who is seemingly nonchalant in the midst of a bad situation. It means that there is more than meets the eye, that outward appearances can be misleading. That quiet person might well be a very passionate person, for example, and your seemingly calm boss may be thinking about how she will tell you that you are fired for losing that big contract.

4. You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

This is said when two things that you want to happen are mutually exclusive. Only one is possible. If you eat your cake, you will no longer have it.

Happy New Year!

[Tara B]

It's a variation on the song "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows but Jesus. . ."

I don't know where the hobo part came from.

[hela]

Thank you Bud and Tara for your explanations.

Bud, is "there is more than meets the eye" also a proverb or is it just an idiom ?

Many thanks and happy new year to you too!
Kind regards,
Hela

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Would you please give me the meaning of the following proverbs ?

1) A good name is easier to lost than won.

2) Blood is thicker than water.

3) Tomorrow never comes. / Tomorrow never dies. (??)

4) Procrastination is the thief of time. =
What may be done at any time is done at no time. (?)

5) There is no time like the present. (is this a proverb?)

6) One of these days is none of these days.

7) It�s the pot calling the kettle black.

It�s dogged that does it.

9) Familiarity breeds contempt. = Respect is greater from a distance. (?)

10) Gain at the expense of reputation should be called loss.

I hope it isn't too long...

Many thanks,
Hela

[bud]

Hi Hela,

One of the reasons that I like this site is that I learn, too. I had to look up the exact meaning of proverb. Is it different than adage, saying, expression or idiom? Here is what Cambridge Dictionaries Online says:


proverb
a short sentence, etc., usually known by many people, stating something commonly experienced or giving advice:

saying
a well-known and wise statement, which often has a meaning that is different from the simple meanings of the words it contains:

adage
a wise saying; proverb:

expression
a word or group of words used in a particular situation or by particular people:
ex. a can of worms

idiom
a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word understood on its own:
ex. to have bitten off more than you can chew


So it seems that proverb, saying and adage are synonyms. They are complete sentences imparting common wisdom. Expression and idiom differ in that they are not necessarily (and often not) complete sentences, and they are not intended to impart wisdom. Rather, they are just colorful phrases used to describe common situations. At least, that's how I interpret Cambridges definitions.

There is more than meets the eye... Is it an idiom or a proverb? It's a tough call, but I would call it an idiom. It doesn't seem to be a complete thought like most of your examples. You need a context for this statement, while you could say that "procrastinhation is the thief of time" stands alone. Again, though, this is just my own attempted reasoning, not a definitive answer.

Since no one answered the first two of your proverbs from yesterday, I'll give you my educated guesses:

1. I think Newcastle is a coal-mining region in England. If that's true, then to carry coals to Newcastle means to make a great effort to do something that is utterly unuseful. (probably an idiom)

2. I have a vague memory of a saying like this. I'm just not sure if you have it correctly or not. If you do, then your interpretation is "right on the money" (an idiom meaning as good as it can be). (the sentence is a proverb)

Today's proverbs...

1. I've never heard of this, but it would have to be "... is easier to lose than to win." It means that it is very hard to earn a good reputation, but it is very easy to ruin that reputation. (a proverb)

2. Family ties are stronger than the bonds of friendship. (a proverb)

3. I don't know these two. The first is probably a warning against procrastination. The second could be a message of hope - there is always a tomorrow and things could look brighter then than they do today. (both are proverbs)

4. I never heard this one, either, but your interpretation is correct. (proverb)

5. Yes, I would say that it is a proverb. Another one warning against procrastination.

6. It's still on the procrastination theme. It's more for aspirations, I think, than for the tasks we have to do today. "One of these days" is a common way to preface a faint aspirartion that we know we will probably never do... One of these days I'm going to get organized. (proverb)

7. It's from the days when pots, pans and kettles were usually made of black cast iron, although it is still commonly used. It's a statement about hypocrisy, like when a lazy person is complaining about another person for being lazy. (probably an idiom)

8. ??? - I haven't a clue.

9. Yes. (proverb)

10. Any profits you make in an illicit way are not worth the loss of your good name. (proverb)


Hope that helps.

[hela]

Dear Bud,

You're right, I made a typo for the first proverb:

= A good name is easier lost than won.

Kind Regards,
Hela

[bud]

Ah, of course! It sounds much more like a proverb that way than with the infinitives.

Take care.