Sayings beginning with A 

Sayings

A bad penny always turns up 

Nasty or bad people have a habit of showing up or returning.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush 

It"s better to have one of something for certain than to run after two of the same thing and not be sure of getting them.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link 

If one link in a chain is weak, and all the other links are strong, the whole chain is weak.

A fool and his money are soon parted 

Stupid people spend their money carelessly and soon become poor.

A good husband makes a good wife 

If a woman is happy with her husband, she will be a good mate for him.

A good man is hard to find 

This saying talks about the difficulties for women in finding a suitable male partner.

A good name is better than riches 

Your good reputation is worth more than money.

A good payer is master of another"s purse 

Someone who is known to always pay exactly as promised can borrow money from other people at any time.

A good paymaster never wants workmen 

An employer who pays well is never short of staff.

A just war is better than an unjust peace 

Fighting between countries for a fair and good cause is better than no fighting in a situation that is unfair.

A little learning is a dangerous thing 

It may be safer not to learn something at all than to half-learn it.

A man is as old as he feels, and a woman as old as she looks 

This somewhat sexist saying suggests that men age better than women.

A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse 

A very small hint is enough to convey our meaning. It is not always necessary to say what we want explicitly.

A short prayer penetrates heaven 

The implication is that brevity is effective in winning the ear of Heaven, and, by extension, any one from whom we seek help.

A still tongue makes a wise head 

Someone who does not talk much, but listens to other people, probably has experience, knowledge and good judgement.

A stitch in time saves nine 

Repair something as soon as it is damaged. That"s a small repair job. If not, you will have a much bigger and more expensive repair job later. Do it now and you"ll need one stitch. Do it later and you"ll need 9 stitches!

A watched pot never boils 

If you want to heat water until it boils, and you watch it while you wait, then it seems to take a very long time. In the same way, anything that we wait for with eager attention seems to take a very long time: like waiting for someone to arrive, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for a letter to come.

A word to the wise is enough 

A very brief warning or explanation is enough for an intelligent person.

All cats are grey in the dark 

The implication is that beauty, or physical appearance, is unimportant.

All clouds bring not rain

We can rephrase this: "Not every cloud brings rain." And that"s true. Sometimes there are many clouds in the sky, but it doesn"t rain. Don"t judge things by appearances.

All that glitters is not gold

The attractive exterior of something is not a good indicator of its real nature. It may look valuable, but not be valuable.

All things are difficult before they are easy

The implication is that we should be patient with learning, and with learners. It take time to learn to do things. What seems easy to us now may have been difficult at first.

All truths are not to be told

Some truths are better left unspoken. It is not always necessary to repeat something even though it be true.

Any port in a storm

In times of danger, any shelter is better than none. In an emergency, we have to accept whatever solution presents itself (for the time being).

Appearances are deceptive

The way something or someone looks from outside may give us the wrong impression.

As soon as man is born he begins to die

The process of dying starts at birth. This saying reminds us of our own mortality, whatever our age.