We can poind for debt, but no for unkindness.
We can shape their wylie-coat, but no their weird.
Literally, we can shape a person's article of clothing, but cannot foretell his destiny.
Wedding and ill wintering tame baith man and beast.
Wee things fley cowards.
Weel begun is half done.
Weel is that weel does.
Weel kens the mouse when pussie's in.
When the cat's away the mice will play."-- English.
"Weel !" quo' Willie, when his ain wife dang him.
We presume that this was intended by Willie as an expression of indifference at the punishment which was being administered to him.
Weel's him and wae's him that has a bishop in his kin.
"Because such may be advanced, and perhaps disappointed."-- Kelly.
Weel won corn should be housed ere the morn.
"'Won corn,' corn dried by exposure to the air."-- Jamieson.
Weel worth a' that gars the plough draw.
Anglice, Good luck to everything by which we earn money.
"We hounds slew the hare," quo' the messan.
Welcome's the best dish in the kitchen.
We'll bark oursels ere we buy dogs sae dear.
Addressed to persons who ask exorbitant prices for their wares: meaning that sooner than agree to their terms, we will do without the article altogether.
We'll bear wi' the stink when it brings in the clink.
We'll meet ere hills meet.
"Men may meet: but mountains never."-- English.
We'll ne'er big sandy bourochs thegither.
"This refers," says Jamieson, "to the custom of children building houses in the sand for sport." The proverb means, after such an occurrence we need never expect to be on terms of intimacy again.
We maun a' gang ae gate.
"'Ay--and is it even sae?' said Meg; 'and has the puir bairn been sae soon removed frae this fashious world? Ay, ay, we maun a' gang ae gate--crackit quart-stoups and geisen'd barrels--leaky quaighs are we a', and canna keep in the liquor of life--Ohon, sirs !'"-- St Ronan's Well.
We maun live by the living, and no by the dead.
We maun tak the crap as it grows.
We may ken your meaning by your mumping.
"To mump, to hint, to aim at."-- Jamieson.
"Ye may speak plainer, lass, gin ye incline,
As by your mumping, I maist ken your mind.'
Shirret.
We ne'er ken the worth o' water till the well gae dry.
Were it no for hope the heart wad break.
Wersh parritch, neither gude to fry, boil, or sup cauld.
West wind north about never hauds lang out.
Wet your wizen or else it'll gizen.
Spoken to a person who is telling a story. It may be either meant kindly or as a signification that the story is too "long-winded."
Wha burns rags will want a winding-sheet.
Wha can haud wha will awa?
Wha can help misluck?
"Wha can help sickness ?" quo' the wife when she lay in the gutter.
Wha canna gie will little get.
Wha comes oftener, and brings you less?
Spoken jocularly by a person who is in the habit of visiting a friend frequently.
Wha daur bell the cat?
In addition to the fabulous illustration of the mice and the cat, this proverb has also an historical fact attached to it, which is well known in Scotland. The Scottish nobles of the time of James the Third proposed to meet at Stirling in a body, and take Spence, the king's favourite, and hang him. At a preliminary consultation, Lord Gray remarked, "It is well said, but wha will bell the cat ?" The Earl of Angus undertook the task--accomplished it--and till his dying day was called Archibald Bell-the-cat.
Wha may woo without cost?
Wha never climbs never fa's.
What a'body says maun be true.
For "There's never much talk of a thing but there's some truth in it."-- Italian.
What better is the house where the daw rises soon?
"Spoken often by mistresses to their maids when they have been early up, and done little work."-- Kelly.
"Early up, and never the nearer."-- English.
What carlins ham, cats eat.
What fizzes in the mou' winna fill the wame.
What is pleasant to the palate may be very unsubstantial for the stomach.
What maks you sae rumgunshach and me sae curcuddoch?
Literally, why are you so rude or unkind to me when I am so anxious to please or be kind to you?
What may be done at ony time will be done at nae time.
What may be mayna be.
What puts that in your head that didna put the sturdy wi't?
"Spoken to them that speak foolishly, or tell a story that you thought they had not known."-- Kelly.
What's gotten ower the deil's back is spent below his belly.
What's gude for sick John's gude for hail Janet.
What's in your wame's no in your testament.
An injunction to a person to eat more: if they eat what is before them they will not leave it in their will.
What's like a dorty maiden when she's auld?
"'Dorty,' applied to a female who is saucy to her suitors."-- Jamieson.
What's my case the day may be yours the morn.
What's nane o' my profit shall be nane o' my peril.
That is, I must decline to run any risk if I do not share the profit.
"What's no i' the bag will be i' the broo," quo' the Hielandman when he dirked the haggis.
What's pleasure to you bodes ill to me.
An epitome of Aesop's "Boys and the Frogs."
What's waur than ill luck?
What's your horse the day, may be his mare the morn.
What's yours is mine, what's mine's my ain.
A maxim occasionally adopted by a selfish husband to enable him to distinguish his own property from that of his wife.
What we first learn we best ken.
What will ye get frae an oily pat but stink?
What winna do by might do by slight.
What winna mak a pat may mak a pat lid.
What ye do when you're drunk ye may pay for when you're dry.
What ye gie shines aye, what ye get smells ill next day.
What ye want up and doun you hae hither-and-yont.
"'Hither-and-yont,' topsy-turvy; in a disjointed state."- Jamieson.
If you have not the thing complete, you have everything necessary for making it so.
What ye win at that ye may lick aff a het girdle.
The inference is that his prospect of success is very poor.
What your ee sees your heart greens for.
When ae door steeks anither opens.
As one door shuts another opens: as one opportunity is lost another occurs.
When a ewie's drowned she's dead.
"Spoken when a thing is lost and past recovery."-- Kelly.
When a fool finds a horseshoe he thinks aye the like to do.
When a' fruits fail, welcome haws.
When a hundred sheep rin, how mony cloots clatter ?
When a' men speak, nae man hears.
When ane winna, twa canna cast out.
When a's in, and the slap dit, rise herd and let the dog sit.
"'Slap dit,' gate shut. Jocosely spoken to herd boys after harvest, as if there was no further use for them."- Kelly.
When death lifts the curtain it's time to be startin'.
When drinks in wit's out.
When folk's missed then they're moaned.
When friends meet hearts warm.
When gude cheer is lacking friends go a-packing.
When he dees of age ye may quake for fear.
When I did weel I heard it never; when I did ill I heard it ever.
"A reflection of servants upon hard and passionate masters, who are liberal in their reproofs, but sparing in their commendations."-- Kelly.
When ilka ane gets his ain the thief will get the widdie.
When lairds break carls get lands.
"When the tree falls every one gathers sticks."-- Danish.
When love cools fauts are seen.
When my head's doun my house is theiked.
"Spoken by those who are free from debts, concerns, or future projects: as common tradesmen, day labourers, and servants, who work their work and get their wages, and commonly are the happiest part of mankind."-- Kelly.
When petticoats woo breeks come speed.
"Time to marry when the maid wooes the man; parallel to that Cheshire proverb, 'It is time to yoke when the cart comes to the caples,' i.e., horses."-- Ray.
When poverty comes in at the door love flies out at the window.
When pride's in the van, begging's in the rear.
When she doesna scold she shores.
That is, when she does not scold directly, she threatens to do it.
When the bag's fu' the drone gets up.
When the barn's fu' ye may thresh afore the door.
When the burn doesna babble, it's either ower toom or ower fu'.
When the cow's in the clout she soon runs out.
Meaning that when the cow has been sold and converted into money, the proceeds soon come to an end, as "Ready money will away."-- English.
When the craw flees her tail follows.
When the gudeman drinks to the gudewife a' wad be weel; when the gudewife drinks to the gudeman a's weel.
This will give English readers but a poor opinion of conjugal courtesy in Scotland--that when a man drinks to the good health of his wife, it is more from fear than from affection--more from a desire that she should have things properly done when they are not so.
When the gudeman's awa the board claith's tint; when the gudewife's awa the keys are tint.
Kelly prints this as two sayings, and says of them respectively--First, "Because the commons will then be short." Second, "For if she be not at home you'll get no drink."
When the heart's fu' o' lust the mou's fu' o' leasing.
When the heart's past hope the face is past shame.
When the hen gaes to the cock the birds may get a knock.
"Spoken when widows, who design a second marriage, prove harsh to their children."- Kelly.
When the heart's fu' the tongue canna speak.
When the horse is at the gallop the bridle's ower late.
When the man's fire and the wife's tow, the deil comes in and blaws't in lowe.
When the pat's fu' it'll boil ower.
When the pea's in bloom the mussel's toom.
Where the pig's broken let the sherds lie.
"A proverbial phrase, applied to death, as expressive o indifference with respect to the place where the body may be interred."-- Jamieson.
Where the scythe cuts, and the sock rives, hae done wi' fairies and bee-bykes.
"Meaning that the ploughing, or even the mowing, of the ground tends to extirpate alike the earth-bee and the fairy. In various places, the fairies are described as having been seen on some particular occasion to gather together and take a formal farewell of the district, when it had become, from agricultural changes, unfitted for their residence."-- Robert Chambers.
When the tod preaches tak tent o' the lambs.
"When the fox preaches, take care of the geese."-- English.
When the tod wins to the wood he caresna how mony keek at his tail.
When the wame's fu' the banes wad be at rest.
When the wame's fu' the tongue wags.
"Wi' spirit bauld they work, I trow,
And mony a strange tale they tell now
Of ilka thing that's braw or new,
They never fag;
Auld proverb says, 'When wames are fu'
The tongues maun wag.'"
The Hairst Rig.
When the will's ready the feet's light.
When we want, friends are scant.
When wine sinks words soom.
When ye are poor, naebody kens ye; when ye are rich, a'body lends ye.
When ye are weel, haud yoursel sae.
When ye ca' the dog out o' your ain kail-yaird, dinna ca't into mine.
When ye can suit your shanks to my shoon ye may speak.
When you are placed in a position similar to mine you will be competent to speak on the subject.
When ye christen the bairn ye should ken what to ca't.
When you're gaun and comin' the gate's no toom.
When you're ser'd a' the geese are watered,
When your hair's white, ye wad hae it lockering.
"'Locker,' curled. Spoken of one who is immoderate in his desires."-- Jamieson.
When your neighbour's house is in danger tak tent o' your ain.
Where drums beat laws are dumb.
Where the buck's bound there he may bleat.
"Men must bear these hardships to which they are bound either by force or compact."-- Kelly.
Where the deer's slain the blude will lie.
Where the head gaes the tail will follow.
Where there are gentles there are aye aff-fa'in's.
There is such abundance of good prepared, that something may be reasonably expected for the poor. It may also be a delicate allusion to the failings of the aristocracy.
Where there's muckle courtesy there's little kindness.
Where there's naething the king tines his right.
While ae gab's teething anither's growing teethless.
Whiles you, whiles me, sae gaes the bailierie.
"Spoken when persons and parties get authority by turns."-- Kelly.
White legs wad aye be rused.
Whitely things are aye tender.
White siller's wrought in black pitch.
Wi' an empty hand nae man can hawks lure.
"If you would have anything done for you, you must give something, for people will not serve you for nothing."-- Kelly.
Wide lugs and a short tongue are best.
Wide will wear, but tight will tear.
Addressed to those who complain that a new article of dress is too wide for them.
Wiles help weak folk.
Wilfu' waste maks woefu' want.