Blair Collection > Collection of Gaelic proverbs and familiar phrases

A lion beagan 'us beagan, mar a dh' ith an cat an
sgadan.
Little ly little, as the cat ate the herring.
Little and little the cat eats the stickle. — Eng. P.
A reir do mheas ort fhein, measaidli each thu.
As thou vainest thyself others will esteem thee.
Autant vaut I'homme comme il s'estime. — Fr.
Him who makes chaff of himself the cows will eat. — Arab.
Wer nichts aus sich macht, ist uichts. — Gci-m.
A' ruith fear-an-tighe 'n a thigh fhein.
Taking the goodman's right in his own house.
A' ruith na seiche air a bruaich.
Keeping to the, edge of the hide.
Applied to persons in straitened circumstances. A man with
plenty of hides would help himself out of the best part ; a poor
man would need to begin at the outside,
A' sgaoileadh nan sguab 's a' trusadh nan siobhag.
Scattering the sheaves and gathering the straws.
A shalachar fhein leis gach rudha.
To every headland it's ovni foul ground.
A's t-Eairach'n uair a bhios a' chaora caol, bidh am
maorach reamhar.
In Blaring lohen the sheep is lean the shellfish is fat.
A thoil fhein do gach duine, 's an toil uile do na
mnathan.
Their will to all men, and. all their will to the women.
Nought's to be had at woman's hand,
Unless ye gie her a' the plea. — Scot. Song.
Ce que femme veut Dieu le veut. — Fr. P.
Abair rium mu'n abair mi riut.
Speak to me ere I speak to thee.
Abhsadh a' chromain-luch.
Shortening sail kite-fashion.
A Hebridean phrase, applied to awkward handling of a sail —
letting it down too suddenly, like the descent of a kite.
Adharc na bà maoile 's duilich a toirt dith.
It's hard to take the horn off the hornless cow.