Alexander Hislop

“ When people engage in a thing to which they are unaccustomed the necessity must be urgent. A Peeblesshire couplet embodies the same meaning:—
"There's muckle ado when muirland folk ride—
Boots and spurs, and a' to provide!"
There's muckle between the word and the deed.
There's muckle hid meat in a goose's ee.
There's muckle love in bands and bags.
"There's meikle good love in bands and bags,
And siller and gowd's a sweet complexion;
But beauty and wit, and virtue in rags,
Have tint the art of gaining affection."
—Tea-Table Miscellany.
There's my thoom, I'll ne'er beguile thee. ”

“ A gude pawn never shamed its master.
"It is no shame for a man to borrow on a good pawn; though I think it would be more for his honour to be trusted without one."—Kelly.
A gude paymaster ne'er wants hands to work.
A gude steel is worth a penny.
A gude tale's no the waur o' being twice tauld.
"It's very true the curates read aye the same words ower again; and if they be right words, what for no?—a gude tale's no the waur o' being twice tauld, I trow; and a body has aye the better chance to understand it."—Old Mortality.
A gude tongue's a gude safeguard. ”

“ Like draws aye to like, like an auld horse to a fell dike.
Persons of similar tastes draw towards and sympathize with each other. "Like will to like—a scabbed horse and a sandy dike."—Danish. "Like will to like, as the devil said to the coal-burner."—German.
[212]
Like hens, ye rin aye to the heap.
Spoken jocularly to those who help themselves to what there is most of on the table.
Like Hilton kirk, baith narrow and mirk, and can only haud its ain parish folk.
"Hilton kirk was a very small edifice in Berwickshire, and it would seem from the saying not very well lighted. ”

“ Every dud bids anither gude-day.
Every fault has its fore.
Every flow has its ebb.
Every Jack will find a Jill.
"'Never you fash your thumb about that, Maister Francie,' returned the landlady with a knowing wink, 'every Jack will find a Jill, gang the world as it may; and, at the warst o't, better hae some fashery in finding a partner for the night, than get yoked with ane that you may not be able to shake off the morn.'"—St Ronan's Well.
Every land has its laigh; every corn has its ain caff. ”

“ A lang tongue has a short hand.
"They who are lavish in their promises, are often short in their performances."—Kelly.
A lass that has mony wooers aft wails the warst.
A laughing-faced lad often maks a lither servant.
A layin' hen is better than a standin' mill. ”

“ I hae never heard o' ane that sleepit the night afore the trial, but of mony a ane that sleepit as sound as a tap the night before their necks were straughted. And it's nae wonder—the warst may be tholed when it's kend: Better a finger aff as aye wagging."—Heart of Midlothian.
Better a fremit friend than a friend fremit.
Better have a stranger for your friend than a friend turned stranger.
Better a gude fame than a fine face.
Better alane than in ill company.
Better a laying hen than a lying crown.
Better a lean horse than a toom halter.
Better a poor horse than no horse at all. ”

“ Of some people it may be said, that "they put their meat in an ill skin;" for, notwithstanding that they live well, they appear always thin and hungry, and not at all, to use a Scotticism, "like their meat." ”

“ See for love and buy for siller.
Seein's believin' a' the world ower.
Seek muckle, and get something; seek little, and get naething.
Seek till you find, and ye'll never lose your labour.
Seek your sa' where you got your ail, and beg your barm where you buy your ale.
The surly reply of a person who has been shunned for some trivial or mistaken reason by one who is compelled by circumstances to apply to him for information or assistance.
Seil ne'er comes till sorrow be awa.
Seldom ride tines his spurs.
Seldom seen, soon forgotten.
Self-praise comes aye stinking ben.
Self-praise is nae honour. ”

“ It sets a haggis to be roasted.
It sets you weel to gab wi' your bannet on.
It's far to seek an' ill to find.
It's folly to live poor to dee rich.
It's gane the thing I lo'ed you for.
It's God that feeds the craws, that neither till, harrow, nor saw.
It's growing to the grund, like a stirk's tail.
Meaning that a person, or project, is not progressing favourably.
It's gude baking beside the meal. [185]
It's gude fighting under a buckler.
It's gude fishing in drumly waters.
It's gude fish when it's gripp'd.
It's gude game that fills the wame.
It's gude gear that pleases the merchant. ”

“ Quoted in the Heart of Midlothian when Sharpitlaw, accompanied by Ratcliffe and Madge Wildfire, go to Muschat's Cairn in search of Robertson.
[132]
He's as hard wi' me as if I had been the wild Scot o' Galloway.
He's a silly chield that can neither dae nor say.
He's as stiff as if he had swallowed the poker.
He's as welcome as snaw in hairst.
He's as welcome as water in a riven ship.
He's auld and cauld, and ill to lie beside.
He's awfu' big ahint the door.
To be "big ahint the door," is to be very courageous when there is no occasion for it.
He's a wise man that can tak care o' himsel. ”

“ Fools aye see ither folk's fauts and forget their ain.
Fools big houses and wise men buy them.
Fools' haste is nae speed.
Fools laugh at their ain sport.
Fools mak feasts and wise men eat them.
"This was once said to a great man in Scotland, upon his giving an entertainment. He readily answered, 'Wise men make proverbs, and fools repeat them.'"—Kelly.
Fools ravel and wise men redd.
Literally, fools entangle affairs and circumstances, and require "wise men" to assist them out of their troubles.
Fools set far trysts.
Fools shouldna hae chappin-sticks.
For as gude again, like Sunday milk. ”

“ Wealth, like want, ruins mony.
Wealth maks wit waver.
"'Weel, weel,' said the banker, 'that may be a' as you say, sir, and nae doubt wealth makes wit waver; but the country's wealthy, that canna be denied, and wealth, sir, ye ken——' 'I know wealth makes itself wings,' answered the cynical stranger; 'but I am not quite sure we have it even now.'"—St Ronan's Well.
Weapons bode peace.
We are a' life-like and death-like.
We are aye tae learn as lang as we live.
We are bound to be honest, and no to be rich.
We can live without our kin, but no without our neighbours.
We canna baith sup and blaw. ”

“ He's a fool that asks ower muckle, but he's a greater fool that gies it.
He's a fool that forgets himsel.
He's a fool that marries at Yule; for when the bairn's to bear the corn's to shear.
He's a gude horse that never stumbled, and a better wife that never grumbled.
"Both so rare, that I never met with either."—Kelly.
He is a gude piper's bitch; he's aye in at meal-times.
He's a gude shot that hits aye the mark.
He's a hardy man to draw a sword at a haggis.
He's a hawk o' a right nest.
He's a man o' wise mind that o' a foe can mak a friend. [131]
He's an auld horse that winna nicher at corn. ”

“ It's gude sleeping in a hale skin.
It's gude to begin weel, but better to end weel.
It's gude to be in your time; ye kenna how lang it may last.
"It's gude to be merry and wise," quo' the miller when he mouter'd twice.
The miller must have been more rogue than fool when he thus took advantage of his customers, for to "mouter," as he did, is to take the fees twice over.
It's gude to be out o' harm's gate.
It's gude to be sib to siller.
To be "sib to siller," is to be related to rich persons.
It's gude to dread the warst, the best will be the welcomer. ”

“ Little odds between a feast and a fu' wame.
Little said is soon mended, little gear is soon spended.
Little's the light will be seen far in a mirk night.
"'But the flame!' demanded Ravenswood; 'the broad blaze which might have been seen ten miles off—what occasioned that?' 'Hout, awa! it's an auld saying and a true, "Little's the light will be seen far in a mirk night"—a wheen fern and horse litter that I fired in the courtyard, after sending back the loon of a footman.'"—Bride of Lammermoor. ”

“ God keep ill gear out o' my hands; for if my hands ance get it, my heart winna part wi't,—sae prayed the gude Earl of Eglinton.
God keep the cat out o' our gate, for the hens canna flee.
God ne'er measures men by inches.
God ne'er sent the mouth, but he sent the meat wi't.
God's aye kind to fu' folk and bairns.
As instanced by the marvellous manner in which men escape injury while under the influence of drink.
God sends fools fortunes.
God sends meat and the deil sends cooks.
God sends men claith as they hae cauld.
God send us siller, for they're little thought o' that want it. ”

“ However, although fairest, it is not the best, for another proverb of our own says, "Nearer the bane the sweeter."
[280]
The foot at the cradle and the hand at the reel, is a sign that a woman means to do weel.
The foremost hound grips the hare.
The fu'er my house, the toomer my purse.
The goat gies a gude milking, but she ca's ower the cog wi' her feet.
Spoken of useful people who are, however, as troublesome as they are useful.
The grace o' a grey bannock is in the bakin' o't.
The grace o' God is gear enough.
The grandsire buys, the faither bigs, the son sells, and the grandson thigs. ”

“ As a carl riches he wretches.
"Wretch, a covetous or niggardly person."—Jamieson. As a man becomes rich he also becomes more parsimonious.
A safe conscience maks a sound sleep.
A saft aiver was ne'er a gude horse.
As ane flits anither sits, and that keeps mailins dear.
As brisk as bottled ale.
As broken a ship's come to land.
"'I fear,' said Morton, 'there is very little chance, my good friend Cuddie, of our getting back to our old occupation.' 'Hout, stir; hout, stir,' replied Cuddie, 'it's aye gude to keep up a hardy heart—as broken a ship's come to land.'"—Old Mortality. ”

“ Mony aunts, mony emes, mony kin, but few friends.
The word "eme" signifies uncle, and the saying—its claims as a proverb are small enough—means that a person may have many relations but very few friends among them.
Mony care for meal that hae baked bread enough.
"Spoken against whining, complaining people, who have enough, and yet are always making a moan."—Kelly.
Mony cooks ne'er made gude kail. [227]
Mony fair promises at the marriage-making, but few at the tocher-paying.
A man may "promise like a merchant and pay like a man-of-war's-man;" ”

“ The owner of the ale pursued the proprietor of the cow for the value of the ale; but a learned bailie, in giving his decision, decreed, that since the ale was drank by the cow while standing at the door, it must be considered deoch an dorius, or stirrup cup, for which no charge could be made, without violating the ancient hospitality of Scotland."—Sir Walter Scott, Note to Waverley. ”

“ Although a wife be very angry and "ill-willy" with her husband in private, still in public she should be cautious for obvious reasons, one of which is, Kelly says, "That a handsome treat may secure good friends and great interest." ”

“ A party pot ne'er plays even.
An interested or prejudiced individual cannot be an impartial judge of both sides of a question.
A penny hain'd's a penny clear, and a preen a-day's a groat a-year.
A penny hain'd's a penny gained.
A penny in my purse will gar me drink when my friends winna.
A penny in the purse is a gude friend.
A penny in the purse is better than a crown awa.
A pennyweight o' love is worth a pound o' law.
A pickle's no miss'd in a mickle.
A poll parrot thinks weel o' itsel.
A poor man is fain o' little.
A poor man's debt maks muckle din. ”

“ If ye dinna like what I gie ye, tak what ye brought wi' ye.
If ye dinna see the bottom, dinna wade.
If you do not see your way clearly through an undertaking, do not venture on it at all.
If ye do nae ill, dinna be ill like: if ye steal na my kail, breakna my dike.
"He that would no evil do, must do nought that's like thereto."—English.
If ye gang a year wi' a cripple, ye'll limp at the end o't.
For "Evil communications corrupt good manners."
If ye had as little money as ye hae manners, ye would be the poorest man o' a' your kin.
If ye'll blaw your ain whistle, ye maun uphaud the win'. ”

“ Ower muckle loose leather about your chafts.
A rude but expressive way of saying that a person is not looking well, or is, Scotice, "thin."
Ower muckle cookery spoils the brochan.
Ower muckle o' ae thing is gude for naething.
Ower narrow counting culyes nae kindness.
To "culye" is to gain, to draw forth. "When people deal in rigour with us we think ourselves but little obliged to them."—Kelly. ”