Death comes in and speirs nae questions.
"Death does not blow a trumpet."-- Danish.
Death defies the doctor.
Death pays a' scores.
Death's gude proof.
Deil be in the house that ye're beguiled in.
A compliment, meaning that a person is so shrewd that no less a person than his Satanic majesty can deceive him.
Deil be in the pock that ye cam in.
Deil mend ye if your leg were broken.
The two last sayings are directly opposed to the preceding one, as they wish all manner of evil to the agencies that bring any particular person, whose presence is disagreeable.
Deil speed them that speir, and ken fu' weel.
That is, shame befall those who ask questions upon subjects with which they are perfectly well acquainted.; and who, by cross questioning, &c., lead people to commit themselves.
Deil stick pride--my dog died o~t
Deil's in our bairns: they'll no bed when their belly's fu'.
"Spoken with indignation, when people who are already well enough cannot hold themselves so, or be satisfied."-- Kelly.
Delays are dangerous.
Did ye ever fit counts wi' him?
Do not boast of your friend, or consider his friendship too stedfast, until you have had money transactions with him.
Diet cures mair than doctors.
Ding doon Tantallan, and big a road to the Bass.
Ding down the nest, and the rooks will flee away.
"Destroy the places where villains shelter, and they will disperse. This proverb was unhappily apply'd at the Reformation to the destroying of many stately cathedrals and collegiate churches."-- Kelly.
Dinna bow to bawtie, lest he bite.
Be careful how you are familiar with your superiors. "Too much familiarity breeds contempt."
Dinna cast awa' the cog when the cow flings.
Do not throw away the milking pail if the cow should kick it over: do not be discouraged if a misfortune should occur.
Dinna dry the burn because it may wat your feet.
Do not remove a public good or convenience because of an individual objection.
Dinna empty your ain mouth to fill other folk's.
Dinna gut your fish till ye get them.
This saying is common to many countries. "Don't cry herrings till they are in the net"-- Dutch. "Don't sell the bearskin before you have caught the bear."-- Italian. "Unlaid eggs are uncertain chickens."
Dinna gut your fish till ye get them.
This saying is common to many countries. "Don't cry herrings till they are in the net"-- Dutch. "Don't sell the bearskin before you have caught the bear."-- Italian. "Unlaid eggs are uncertain chickens."-- German.
Dinna lee for want o' news.
Dinna lift me before I fa'.
"'Weel, I've keepit a house this mony a year, and I never heard o' warm plates to a hot dinner before.' 'Then you refuse to give us them?' 'By no manner o' means, Dr Seggie, so ye needna lift folks before they fa'--you're welcome to any plates you please; and a' that I have to say is, that the langer a body lives they see the mair ferlies.'"- Laird of Logan.
Dinna meddle wi' the deil and the laird's bairns.
Dinna scaud your mouth wi' other folk's kail.
Be cautious in interfering with the affairs of neighbours or strangers.
Dinna sigh for him, but send for him: if he's unhanged he'll come.
Do not speak about a thing, or wish it done, but do it. "Talking is easier than doing, and promising than performing."-- German.
Dinna speak o' a raip to a chield whase father was hanged.
Dinna straik against the hair.
"Ony way, I wadna hae liked to have offended Mr Treddles; he was a wee toustie when you rubbed him again the hair--but a kind, weel-meaning man."-- The Highland Widow.
Dinna stretch your arm farther than your sleeve 'ill let ye.
"'I'll no let ye rest if ye dinna mak me a bailie's wife or a' be done. I was not ill pleased to hear Mrs Pawkie so spiritful; but I replied, 'Dinna try to stretch your arm, gudewife, farther than your sleeve will let you; we maun ca' canny mony a day yet before we think of dignities.'"- The Provost.
Dinna tell your fae when your foot sleeps.
Dinna touch him on the sair heel.
Do not speak to him on a subject on which he is known to be sensitive.
Dirt bodes luck.
Dirt defies the king.
Dirt parts gude company.
Dit your mouth wi' your meat.
"Dit," close. A suggestion intended to put a stop to idle conversation.
Do a man a good turn, and he'll never forgie you.
"'Are you mad?' cried Bryce Snailsfoot, 'you that lived sae lang in Zetland to risk the saving of a drowning man? Wot ye not, if you bring him to life again, he will be sure to do you some capital injury?'"-- The Pirate.
Do as the cow o' Forfar did, tak a stannin' drink. -
"A cow in passing a door in Forfar, where a tub of ale had been placed to cool, drank the whole of it. 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 drunk 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.
Do as lasses do--say No, but tak it.
"Maids, in modesty, say 'No' to that which they would have profferer construe 'Ay.'"- Shakespeare.
Do as the miller's wife o' Newlands did--she took what she had and she never wanted.
Dogs and bairns are fain o' fools.
That is, fools attract the attention of children and dogs.
Dogs bark as they are bred.
Dogs will redd swine.
"Redd," is here used in the sense of to put in order.
Dolour pays nae debts.
Dool and an ill life soon mak an auld wife.
"Sorrow and an evil life maketh soon an old wife."-- English.
Do on the hill as ye wad do in the ha'.
Let your private character be consistent with your public one.
Do't by guess, as the blind man fell'd the dog.
Do the likeliest and hope the best.
Double charges rive cannons.
That is, surfeits are dangerous ; but the proverb which follows shows, as usual, that there is no rule without an exception.
Double drinks are gude for drouth.
Do weel, an' doubt nae man; do ill, an' doubt a' men.
Do weel and dread nae shame.
Do weel and hae weel.
Do what ye ought and come what can; think o' ease, but work on.
The first clause of this is common to many countries ; but as the second only occurs in Henderson's collection, we suspect it is an addition of his own.
Do what ye ought, and let come what will.
Do your turn weel, and nane will speir what time ye took.
Meaning, that work should rather be done well than quickly.
Draff he sought, but drink was his errand.
That is, while pretending to ask for one thing, his great object was to get another.
Draff is gude enough for swine.
Dree out the inch when ye have tholed the span.
Since you have suffered patiently, or submitted to injustice for a long time, bear on quietly when there is a prospect of early relief.
Driest wood will eithest lowe.
Drink and drouth come na aye thegither.
Drink little, that ye may drink lang.
Drive the swine through't.
You should sift Jamie's tender passion -- that's the novelle-name for calf-love; and if it's within the compass o' a possibility, get the swine driven through't, or it may work us a' mucklc dule, as his father's moonlight marriage did to your ain, worthy man !"-- The Entail.
Drunk at e'en and dry in the morning.
Drunk folk seldom tak harm.
The French say, "God helps three kinds of people: fools, children, and drunkards ;" and another of our own states that "God's aye kind to fu' folk and bairns."
Dry bargains bode ill.
A bargain in times gone by was not "lucky," unless ratified by a drink.
Dummie canna lee.
Dunse dings a'.
"It may be mentioned that this is only the opinion which the people of Donse entertain of the town, as their neighbours, in general, scout the idea with great indignation."-- Robert Chambers. There are several local additions to this saying, such as "Douse dings a' for braw lads and drucken wives ;" "for gude yill and bonnie lasses," &c.

EAGLES catch nae fleas.
Spoken of conceited people who affect disdain for petty details.
Eagles flee alane, but sheep herd thegither.
Early birds catch the worms.
Early crooks the tree, that good cammock shou1d be.
Early maister, lang servant
Early sow, early mow.
East or west, hame is best.
East and wast, the sign o' a blast; north and south, the sign o' a drouth.
Easy learning the cat the road to the kirn.
When the natural inclination tends towards any particular subject, it assists the learner greatly.
Eat and welcome--fast and twice as welcome. Eaten meat is ill to pay.
"Eaten bread is soon forgotten."-- Italian.
Eating, drinking, and cleaning need but a beginning.
Eat in measure and defy the doctor.
Eat peas wi' the prince and cherries wi' the chapman.
Eats meat, an's never fed; wear claes, an's never cled.
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." Some people are equally unfortunate with regard to their clothing; always amply dressed, they seem the very reverse.
Eat till ye sweat and work till ye freeze.
Eat-weel's Drink-weel's brither.
Signifying that good drinking must necessarily go hand in hand with good eating.
Eat your fill and pouch nane, is gardener's law.
E'en as ye won't, sae ye may wear't.
As you won it, so you may wear it; applied either in a good or bad sense.
E'ening grey and a morning red, put on your hat or ye'll weet your head.
E'ening orts are gude morning's fodder.
"Orts," rejected provender. Meaning that a thing which is rejected or despised at present may be acceptable or valuable at another time.
E'ening red an' a morning grey is taiken sure o' a bonnie day.
E'en pickle in your am pock-neuk.
"'Ye'll find the stane breeks and the iron garters--ay, and the hemp cravat, for a' that, neighbour,' replied the bailie. 'Nae man in a civilised country ever played the pliskies ye hae done; but e'en pickle in your ain pock-neuk--I hae gi'en ye warning.'"-- Rob Roy.
Eident youth maks easy age.
"Industry is the parent of fortune."-- German.
Eild and poortith are a sair burden for ae back.
"Eild and poortith," age and poverty. "Poverty on an old man's back is a heavy burden."-- English.
Eild and poortith's sair to thole.
This saying is of similar import to the preceding one. Literally, age and poverty are hard to bear.
Eild should hae honour.
Either live or die wi' honour.
Either prove a man or a mouse.
Either win the horse or tine the saddle.
Win the horse or lose the saddle. "Neck or nothing."
Eith keeping the castle that's no besieged.
"It is easy to sit at the helm in fair weather."-- Danish.
Eith learned soon forgotten.
"Easy come, easy go."-- English.
Eith to that thy ain heart wills.
Eith working when will's at hame.
The two preceding maxims have a similar meaning to the French sayings, that "Will is power;" and "A willing heart helps work." "Where the will is ready the feet are light "-- German.
Ell and tell is gude merchandise.
Ell and tell is ne'er forgotten, and the best pay's on the peck bottom.
"Ell and tell," if we mistake not, refers to good measure and prompt payment; and the latter saying may be construed thus:--The grain is emptied from the "peck" measure, the measure is inverted, and payment for the grain is "told" on the bottom of it.
Enough's as gude as a feast.
Enough's enough o' bread and cheese.
Meaning, that too much of one thing is not good. The French and Dutch say, "Enough is better than too much," while the Italians are of opinion that "Enough is enough, and too much spoils."
Envy shoots at a high mark.
Even stands his cap the day, for a' that.
"It took its rise from a minister in our country, who, in a sermon preached most fiercely against the supremacy of the Pope, at the conclusion said, 'Even stands his cap for all that I have said, drinking good Romany wine this day.' Applied when we signify that all we can say against any great man can do him no harm."-- Kelly.
Ever busy, ever bare.
"Great cry and little wool."-- English.
Every ane loups the dyke where it's laighest.
Every one leaps the wall at the lowest part,--a man may "loup the dyke" by oppressing those who are unable to resist.
Every bird thinks its ain nest best.
Every cock craws crousiest on his ain midden head.
"Every cock crows loudest on his own dunghill," is a saying common to all nations.
Every craw thinks his ain bird whitest.
All think well of their own offspring. "Every mother's child is handsome," say the Germans. They also have, "No ape but swears he has the finest children."
Every day is no Yule day; cast the cat a castock.
The first half of this proverb is used literally by the Italians and Dutch. A "castock" is the stalk or core of a cabbage.
Every dog has its day.