"if cats had wings, larks would be expensive" - russian proverbs



From a 20th-century collection of 1200 Russian proverbs comes this selection, none of which I think I've seen before.

  • Manure does not shame the field.
  • The horse is often wiser than its rider.
  • A stupid dog is not a tiger.
  • The dog that likes to eat partridges is of no use to the hunter.
  • If you deal with dogs, learn how to bark.
  • The cat saw the camel and immediately arched its back.
  • Old mice like fresh lard.
  • If the cat can't eat the fish with its mouth, it will eat it with its eyes. (Too true - curator)
  • A wet poodle does not fear water.
-- Langnas, Izaak Abram, 1911-. 1200 Russian Proverbs. New York: Philosophical Library, 1960.  Passim.

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