Chapter M: Mackerel sky, 120

Mad as a March hare, 59, 85

Make a cat laugh, 187

Make best of bad job, 42, 129, 146

Make hay while sun shines, 30

Make mouth water, 103

Man in the street, 194

Man proposes, 142

Manners change, 25

Many a little makes a mickle, 136, 154, 184, 208

Many a true word spoken in jest, 230

March winds and April showers, 158

Mare better horse, the grey, 109, 192

Mare’s nest, to find a, 185

Marines, to tell to, 25

Mar-joy, 227

Match for a person, no, 67

Matter of course, 12

Measure other’s peck, 23

Men die as they live, 218

Mess, to get into a, 25, 101, 185

Mess, to make a pretty, 6

Might is right, 127, 129

Milk and honey, flowing with, 72

Milksop, 227

Mince matters, not to, 65, 166

Mincemeat of, to make, 139

Miserly father, spendthrift son, 26

Misfortunes never come singly, 21, 156

Miss the mark, 81

Money makes money, 103

Money, to be made of, 20

Money, ready, 20

Moon made of green cheese, 149

More frightened than hurt, 185

More haste, less speed, 50, 65, 141, 195

More the merrier, the, 130

Mountain out of molehill, 166, 171

Move on, 71

Mow what you sow, 176

Much ado about nothing, 35

Much coin, much care, 138

Much would have more, 16, 189

Murder king’s English, to, 214

N

Nail right on head, to hit, 99, 107

Narrow shave, 35

Nearer church, 105, 161

Necessity, mother of invention, 176

Needle in bundle of hay, 9

Nice goings on, 34

Nick of time, to come in, 21, 54, 190

Nine days’ wonder, 7

No admittance, 92

Noble to ninepence, to bring, 214

No danger, no glory, 228

No fear of that, 90

No living man all things can, 144

Nod is as good as wink to blind horse, 57

None so deaf, 109, 215

No pay, no piper, 20

No sooner said than done, 23

Not at home, 111

Nothing ask, nothing have, 143

Nothing for nothing, 205

Nothing succeeds like success, 184

Nothing like leather, 174

Nothing new, that is, 77

Nothing venture, nothing win, 206

No thoroughfare, 181

No use my talking, 28, 35

Not in my line, 204

Not up to date, 225

Now or never, 55

O

Oath, to take the, 195

Ogre, to eat like an, 157

Old as the hills, 163, 191, 231

Old birds not caught with chaff, 161

Old dog will learn no tricks, 146

Old-fashioned, quite, 146

Old maid, 74

Old wives’ tales, 78

Once and for all, 42, 58

Once bit, twice shy, 63, 201

Once in a blue moon, 163

One door shuts, another opens, 184

One good turn deserves another, 62, 146

One man can take horse to water, 213

One man may steal a horse, 166

One man’s meat, 170

One scabby sheep, 134

One swallow does not make a summer, 86

Only this once, 86

Open confession good for soul, 26

Opportunity makes the thief, 150

Out-Herod Herod, 208

Out of debt, out of danger, 95

Out of print, 110

Out of sight, out of mind, 73

Out of sorts, 22, 210

Out of the frying-pan, 47

Out of world as out of fashion, 130

Over head and ears, 87

P

P’s and Q’s, to mind one’s, 38

Pack becomes small pedlar, a small, 185

Pay back in own coin, to, 164

Pay, no piper, no, 20

Pay the piper, to, 182

Pay with promises, 212

Pearls before swine, to cast, 184

Penniless, to be, 46, 96

Penny saved is a penny earned, 104, 133

Penny wise and pound foolish, 46, 60

Peril proves who dearly loves, 10

Pet aversion, 37

Pickle, to be in a pretty, 35, 101

Pigeon-holed, to be, 55

Pig in a poke, to buy a, 3

Pin a day, groat a year, 110

Pinch of salt, 36

Pin drop, to hear a, 216

Pins and needles, to be on, 215

Piper, to pay the, 182, 232

Pitch and toss, 187

Pitch, to touch, 38

Pitcher that often goes to the well, 18

Plain as a pikestaff, 71

Plain English, in, 131, 165

Play the prude, 190

Please the eye, fill the purse, 229

Plenty makes dainty, 215

Poaches on my preserves, 49

Pocket an insult, to, 8

Point-blank, 46, 50

Point, not to the, 8, 117

Point, to come to the, 117, 181

Poor as a church mouse, 105

Possession nine points of law, 192

Pot calls kettle black, 131, 183

Pot-luck, 129

Pot soon hot, a little, 185

Poverty in at door love out at window, 126

Poverty is no crime, 181

Practice makes perfect, 115, 128

Practise what one preaches, to, 113

Precepts lead, 113

Precious near it, 118

Precious pair, a, 87

Prefer advice to praise, 78

Prettiness makes no pottage, 35

Prig, 192

Promises are like pie-crust, 39

Proud as a peacock, 122

Put shoulder to wheel, 172

Q

Quarrel about nothing, to, 11

Queen Anne is dead, 191

Queer fish, 80, 102

Quite between ourselves, 98

R

Racket, to stand the, 56, 193

Rage, to be the, 21, 133

Rap, not worth a, 121

Reach-me-down, a, 91

Receiver as bad as thief, 24, 208

Red at night the shepherd’s delight, 39

Red-handed, 92

Reed, to trust to a broken, 19

Refuse point-blank, 168

Regular as clockwork, 167, 202

Repent at leisure, 203

Return of post, 85

Return to our subject, 167

Riches, a good name better than, 203

Ride rough-shod over, 186

Ring down the curtain, 223

Rob a church, he would, 24

Rob Peter to pay Paul, 91

Rod in pickle, to keep a, 134

Roland for an Oliver, 63, 195

Rolling stone gathers no moss, 187

Rome was not built in a day, 20, 117

Room for improvement, 94

Room to swing a cat in, not, 154

Rose has its thorn, every, 207

Rough tools for rough work, 135

Rough with smooth, to take, 36

Rough with the smooth, to take, 138

Routine, return to old, 74

Row in same boat, 85

Rub, there’s the, 97, 135, 151

Rule men with rod of iron, 29

Rule of thumb, 168

Ruling passion strong in death, 8

Run for your lives, 210

Run headlong into trap, 30

Run with hare and hunt with hounds, 67, 103

S

Sack, to give any one the, 30

Safe bind, safe find, 160

Saintly look, to put on a, 17

Saint Swithin’s Day, 159

Salt, not worth his, 176

Salt on bird’s tail, to put, 211

Same old story, 203

Satan finds mischief still, 173

Save appearances, to, 92

Sea-legs, to have one’s, 186

Secret, an open, 191

Secret of two, 211

See stars, to, 59, 111

Self-praise no recommendation, 152

Sell like wildfire, 108

Send about one’s business, 109

Serves you right, it, 23, 38, 117, 176

Set a beggar on horseback, 174

Set a thief to catch a thief, 80

Set fox to keep geese, 153

Seven-league boots, 180

Shakes, no great, 219

Shanks’ nag, 97

Sharp as a needle, as, 13

Sheep, the black, 49

Shelf, to be put on the, 201

Shilly-shallying, 65

Shine at wrong end, to, 217

Shirk work, never, 74

Shoe lost for want of nail, 16

Shoemaker’s wife the worst shod, 65

Shoe pinches, where the, 32

Shoot the moon, 71, 153, 227

Short life and merry, 19, 42

Short reckonings make long friends, 42

Shoulder, the cold, 33

Show the white feather, 53

Sick and tired of anything, 101

Silence gives consent, 78, 165

Silent sow sucks wash, 48

Silk purse out of sow’s ear, 51

Silks and satins put out the kitchen fire, 228

Silver spoon in one’s mouth, 74

Sin, as ugly as, 182

Six of one and half-a-dozen of another, 43

Sixes and sevens, 1, 90

Skeleton in the cupboard, 79

Skin a flint, to, 144

Sleep like a top, to, 100

Sleep upon it, to, 77

Slippery as an eel, 16

Slow and sure wins the race, 12, 65

Sly dog, 75, 125, 166

Small parcels, fine wares, 173, 209

Smart for it, 89

Smell of the lamp, 143

Smoke, to end in, 2

Smoke without fire, no, 132

Snake in the grass, 17

So many men, 24

So much to the good, 194

Song, to buy for a mere, 3

Sooner the better, 224

So-so, 74

Sowing wild oats, 136

Sow by wrong ear, 152

Spade a spade, to call a, 18, 63

Spare the rod, spoil the child, 10

Speak ill in absence, 216

Speak of angels, 152

Speech silvern, silence golden, 179

Split difference, to, 190

Split hairs, 85

Split sides with laughter, 44

Spoil ship for ha’porth of tar, 60

Spoke in wheel, to put, 33

Sprat to catch a herring, 122, 171

Stand the racket, 56

Stake, your life is at, 8, 12

Stale news, 191

Stare in the face, to, 87, 171

Stick no bills, 7, 91

Stick, to get hold of wrong end of, 16

Still tongue, wise head, 210

Still waters run deep, 102

Sting is in the tail, 199

Stirrup-cup, 112

Stitch in time saves nine, 190

Stolen joys are sweet, 18, 176

Stone unturned, to leave no, 106

Store is no sore, 2

Strain at a gnat, 59

Strain every nerve, to, 122, 209

Straw breaks camel’s back, the last, 46

Straw, not to care a, 15, 171

Stretch one’s legs, 92

Strike while iron is hot, 121

String to bow, more than one, 201, 216

Struck all of a heap, 121

Stuck pigs, to look like, 69

Stuff and nonsense, all, 29, 142

Style man himself, 142

Success justifies the means, 124

Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof, 147

Sunday-best, 107

Sweep, to make a clean, 217

T

Tail between legs, 32

Take after a person, to, 11

Take care of the pence, 104

Take it or leave it, 149, 158

Take law into own hands, 200

Take the wall, 181

Take time by forelock, 30, 67

Take a wise man to be a fool, 130

Tale never loses in telling, 152

Talking to the air, 61

Tastes differ, 136

Tell that to the marines, 25

Tender-handed stroke a nettle, 172

Tether, to be at end of, 79

Thames on fire, to set the, 193

That crowns all, 157

That’s the way of the world, 156

There is many a slip, 84

Thick as thieves, 150

Things, where are my, 5

Thorns, to be on, 51

Those who lose pay, 34

Threats light as air, 106

Time is money, 221

Tip the porter, 158

Tip-top, 234

Tit-bit, 45

Tit for tat, 63

Tom, Dick, and Harry, 223

Too many cooks spoil broth, 209

Too much of a good thing, 146

Topsy-turvy, 94, 211

Travellers tell fine tales, 160

Trespassers will be prosecuted, 92

Tricks, to be at one’s old, 116

Truth stranger than fiction, 234

Truth will out, 147, 230

Turn in all standing, 81

Turn over new leaf, 182

Turn to play, 27

Two can play at that game, 146

Two heads better than one, 26

Two of a trade, 163

Two’s company, 95

U

Up to date, 124

Up to-day, down to-morrow, 58