“Even one hair has a shadow.” This translation of the Latin proverb Etiam capillus unus habet umbram is a reminder that even the smallest thing can have large consequences. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “One...
Andy from Independence, Missouri, inherited a toe-counting rhyme from his grandfather: Tom Pumpkin, Long Larkin, Betty Pringle, Johnny Jingle, and Little Dick. The exact source is unknown, but it fits a lively family of English and Scandinavian toe...
A proverb translated from Arabic sets a demanding standard for speech: “If what you’re going to say isn’t more beautiful than silence, don’t say it.” The saying treats silence as something a comment has to improve upon if it is to be spoken at all...
Antimetabole, from Greek words meaning “turning about in the opposite direction,” is the rhetorical turn in “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” where the same words come back in reverse order. Bascom in Redding, California, collects...
“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.” Martha talks about this weather proverb, which has been around in one form or another since ancient times. Grant shares a favorite weather word: slatch...
Alberta from Winona, Minnesota, wonders about the worm turns, a phrase her husband used for a sudden reversal. It comes from the proverb Tread on a worm and it will turn, meaning that even the humblest creature will defend itself when attacked. In...