Proverbs, Sayings, Idioms and Phrases

Origin The saying "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" can be traced to as far back as the 15th century. Even though the version during this time was slightly different due to the type of English that was spoken, it still translates to something similar to what we have today. The phrase is mostly associated with Benjamin Franklin who used it … [Read more...] about “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”: Origin, Meaning, and Explanation

Origin The proverb, 'blood is thicker than water', is first known to have existed in a German book in the 1180s. Here, blood is said to be 'dicker' (the German word for 'thicker') than water. In 1670, it first appeared in its current English form in a book called 'Proverbs', written by John Ray. This proverb is very popular and has been found throughout the world. In his … [Read more...] about ‘Blood is Thicker than Water’ – Origin, Meaning, Expansion, Significance

Origin This proverb, 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away', is said to have originated in Wales in the 1860s. When first used, however, this proverb had a slightly different form. It began, 'eat an apple when going to bed' and then followed this up with 'you will keep the doctor from earning his bread'. 'Bread', in the above phrase, roughly means 'salary' - i.e. 'you will … [Read more...] about ‘An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away’ – Origin, Meaning, Expansion, and Significance of the Proverb