The deil ne'er sent a wind out o' hell but he sail'd wi't.
The deil's a busy bishop in his ain diocese.
The deil's aye gude to his ain.
The deil's cow calves twice in ae year.
The deil's greedy, but ye're mislear'd.
The deil's greedy, sae are ye.
The deil's gude when he's pleased.
The deil's journeyman ne'er wants wark.
The deil's no sae black as he's ca'd.
"'Hout tout, neighbour, ye maunna tak the warld at its word,' said Saddletree; 'the very deil is no sae ill as he's ca'd; and I ken mair than ae advocate that may be said to hae some integrity as weel as their neighbours ; that is, after a sort o' fashion o' their ain.'"-- Heart of Midlothian.
Tue deil's ower grit wi' you.
"Ower grit," too familiar.
The deil's pet lambs lo'e Claverse's lads.
A saying of the Covenantens, that the followers of Graham of Claverhouse were on affectionate terms with the favourites of the Evil One.
The deil was sick, the deil a monk wad be; the deil grew hale, syne deil a monk was he.
Meaning that promises of amendment mad eon a sick-bed are seldom kept.
"All criminals preadh under the gallows."- Italian.
The deil will tak little or he want a'.
The dorty dame may fa' in the dirt.
"Dorty," says Jamieson, "is applied to a female who is saucy with her suitors." That she may have to marry a more ineligible person than the one refused is here implied.
The drucken sot gets aye the drucken groat.
The e'ening brings a' hame.
The Englishman greets, the Irishman sleeps, but the Scotchman gangs till he gets it.
"A pretended account of the behaviour of these three nations when they want meat."-- Kelly.
The farther ben the welcomer.
The farther in the deeper.
The farthest way aboot is aft the nearest way hame.
The fat sow's tail's aye creeshed.
Those who have sufficient money or property already are always getting additions to their stones.
The feathers carried awa the flesh.
The feet are slow when the head wears snaw.
The first dish is aye best eaten.
The first fuff o' a fat haggis is aye the bauldest.
Or the first threat of a boaster or coward is always the worst.
The first gryce and the last whalp o' a litter are aye the best.
The fish that sooms in a dub will aye taste o' dirt.
The flesh is aye fairest that's farthest frae the bane.
However, although fairest, it is not the best, for another proverb of our own says, "Nearer the bane the sweeter."
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.
Alluding to the uncertainty of earthly things; meaning, literally, that the grandsire buys estates on which the father builds, the son sells the property, and forces the grandson again in turn to beg.
The gravest fish is an oyster; the gravest bird's an ool; the gravest beast's an ass; an' the gravest man's a fool.
The greatest burdens are no the maist gainfu'.
The greatest clerk's no aye the wisest man.
The greedy man and the cook are sure friends.
The greedy man and the gileynour are weel met.
The gude dog doesna aye get the best bane.
The gude man's mither is aye in the gait.
"The husband's mother is the wife's devil."-- Dutch.
The gude man's no aye the best man.
The gude or ill hap o' a gude or ill life, is the gude or ill choice o' a gude or ill wife.
"He who has a good wife can bear any evil; he who has a bad wife can expect no happiness that can be so called."-- Spanish.
The happy man canna be herried.
The haughty hawk winna stoop to carrion.
The height o' nonsense is supping soor milk wi' an elshin.
This is equalled by a saying of another country, which has "keeping the sea back with a pitchfork" as its type of nonsense.
The hen's egg gaes to the ha' to bring the goose's egg awa.
"Spoken when poor people give small gifts to be doubly repaid."-- Kelly.
The higher climb the greater fa'.
The higher the hill the laigher the grass.
The higher the tree the sweeter the plooms; the richer the souter the blacker his thooms.
The king lies doun, yet the warld rins round.
Applied to persons who have an exaggerated idea of their own importance.
The king may come in the cadger's gait.
This proverb, which is exclusively Scottish, means that a person who has been slighted, or whose services have been despised, may have an opportunity of retaliating at a future time.
The king may come to Kelly yet, and when he comes he'll ride.
"It signifies that the time may come that I may get my revenge upon such people, and then I will do it to purpose."-- Kelly.
The kirk's aye greedy.
The kirk's muckle, but ye may say mass i' the end o't.
"Spoken when people say something is too much, intimating that they need take no more than they have need for. "-- Kelly.
The laird may be laird, and still need the hind's help.
The laird's brither's an ill tenant.
The langer we live we see the main ferlies.
The langest day has an end.
The lass that has ower mony wooers aft wales the warst.
The lass that lightlies may lament.
To "lightlie" is to despise or treat with contempt.
The lazy lad maks a stark auld man.
The lean dog is a' fleas.
The leeful man is the beggar's brither.
The less debt the mair dainties.
"The less I lee."
This is merely a phrase, but a very expressive one. It implies emphatically that "the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," has been told.
The less wit a man has, the less he kens the want o't.
The loudest bummer's no the best bee.
The lucky pennyworth sells soonest.
The mair cost the mair honour.
The mair dirt the less hurt.
The mair mischief the better sport.
The mair the merrier; the fewer better cheer.
The mair ye steer the main ye'll sink.
The maister's brither's an ill servant.
The maister's ee maks the horse fat.
A fat man riding upon lean horse was asked how it came to pass that he was so fat while his horse was so lean? "Because," said he, "I feed myse1f, but my servant feeds the horse."
"The master's eye puts meat on the horse's ribs. "-- Irish.
The maister's foot's the best measure.
The man may eithly tine a stot that canna count his kine.
Or the man who does not know his business cannot look properly after it.
The man wha sits on the silk goun-tail o' the wife wha's tocher bought it, never sits easy.
The maut's abune the meal.
"Donald Bean Lean, being aware that the bridegroom was in request, and wanting to cleik the cunzie (that is, hook the siller), he cannily carried off Gilliewhackit ae night when he was riding dovering hame (wi' the maut rather abune the meal), and with the help of his gillies he gat him into the hills with the speed of light, and the first place he wakened in was the Cove of Vaimh an Ri."-- Waverley.
"The meal cheap and shoon dear," quo' the souter's wife, "I'd like to hear."
The miller mouters best wi' his ain hand.
The morn's the morn.
"When northern blasts the ocean snurli,
And gars the heights and hows look gurl,
Then left about the bumper whirl,
And toom the horn;
Grip fast the hours which hasty hurl,
The morn's the morn."-- Allan Ramsay.
The moudiwart feedsna on midges.
Them that canna get a peck maun put up wi' a stimpart.
A "stimpart" is the fourth part of a peck. They who cannot obtain luxuries must content themselves with necessaries.
Them that canna ride maun shank it.
"'To shank,' to travel on foot."-- Jamieson.
Them that likesna water brose will scunner at cauld steerie.
"'Cauld steerie,' sourmilk and meal stirred together in a cold state."-- Jamieson.
Used as a taunt to those who complain of common food.
Them that winna work maun want.
Them that's ill fleyed are seldom sair hurt.
Them that's slack in gude are eydent in ill.
The muck midden is the mither o' the meal kist.
Them wha gae jumpin' awa aft come limpin' hame.
Them wha stand on a knowe's sure to be noticed.
Or they who elevate themselves to a public position are sure to be conspicuous.
Then's then, but noo's the noo.
"'Weel, Lindy man,' says Colin, 'that's a' true,
But then was then, my lad, an' noo is noo;
Bout then-a-days, we'd seldom met wi' cross,
Nor kent the ill o' conters or a loss.
But noo, the case is altered very sair.'"
Ross's Helenore.
The name o' an honest woman's muckle worth.
The nearer e'en the mair beggars.
A jocular salutation to those who drop in to visit a friend.
The next time ye dance, ken wha ye tak by the hand.
"Spoken to them who have imprudently engaged with some who have been too cunning or too hard for them."-- Kelly.
The peasweep aye cries farthest frae his ain nest.
The piper wants muckle that wants the nether chaft.
"Spoken when a thing is wanting which is actually necessary."-- Kelly.
The poor man is aye put to the warst.
The poor man pays for a'.
The poor man's shilling is but a penny.
The post o' honour is the post o' danger.
The proof o' the pudding's the preein' o't.
The proudest nettle grows on a midden.
And a very proud person may have sprung from a poor family.
The rain comes scouth when the wind's in the south.
To rain "scouth," is to rain abundantly or heavily.
There are great stots in Ireland, but they canna get here for horns.
There are mair foxes than there are holes for.
There are mair knaves in my kin than honest men in yours.
There are mair maidens than maukins.
Literally, there are more maidens than young hares. Figuratively, he has lost one sweetheart, but he'll soon get another.
There are mair married than gude house hauders.
Or more persons in the capacity of householders than are competent for the duties of the position.
There are main wark-days than life-days.
There are nane sae weel shod but may slip.
There belangs mair to a bed than four bare legs.
Spoken to persons about to marry, signifying that more expenses are incurred in housekeeping than they are aware of.
There belangs mair to a ploughman than whistling.
There grows nae grass at the market cross.
There ne'er came ill frae a gude advice.
There ne'er was a bad that couldna be waur.
There ne'er was a fair word in flyting.
There ne'er was a fire without some reek.
There ne'er was a poor man in his kin.
There ne'er was a slut but had a slit, or a daw but had twa.
There ne'er was a five pound note but there was a ten pound road for't.
Such was the reply of a respected lady friend of ours when asked what she did with all the money she got. It does not appear in any previous collection, but it is too good to be lost.
There's a day coming that'll show wha's blackest.
There's a difference between fen o'er and fair well.
"There is a great difference between their way of living who only get a little scrap to keep them alive, and theirs who get every day a full meal."-- Kelly.
There's a difference between the piper and his bitch.
There's a difference between "Will you sell ?" and "Will you buy ?"
There's a dub at every door, and before some doors there's twa.
A "dub" is a pool or puddle of water. Proverbially, there is a skeleton in every house.
There's ae day o' reckoning and anither day o payment.
There's a flee in my hose.
"That is, I have some trouble of mind or body about me that takes up my thought."-- Kelly.
There's a gude and a bad side to everything; a' the airt is to find it out.
There's a gude shape in the shears' mouth.
But it requires talent and skill to bring it forth.
There's a het hurry when there's a hen to roast.
"There's a mote in't," quo' the man when he swallowed the dishclout.
There's an act in the Laird o' Grant's court, that no abune eleven speak at ance.
A jocular remark when too many speak at once: that it is founded on fact is questionable.
"There's an unco splutter," quo' the sow i' the gutter.
There's a reason for ye, an' a rag about the foot o't.
The meaning of this is, that a very trifling or lame reason has been given for something having been done.
There's as gude fish in the sea as ever came out o't.
"I jalouse it's neither siller nor the Kirk o' Scotland that's fashing him. If I'm no mista'en, he's vexing himsel' a hantle mair about Miss Migummerie; but he needna be sic a fule--there's as gude fish in the sea as ever yet cam oot o't--that's a' that I'll say."-- The Disruption.