J. F. Campbell Collection > Collection of Gaelic proverbs and familiar phrases

Ill
he covets ; xcliat the Mull man covets the Coll man steals; and ichat
the Coll man steals the Tiree man hides.
Sliob am Muileach, 'us sgròbaidh e thu ; sgròb am Muileach,
'us sliùbaidli e thu. — Strohe the Mull man, arid he'll scratch you :
scratch him, and he'll stroke you.
Ged a bliiodh tu cho carach ris a Mhuileach, glieabliar a macli
thu. — Were you as tricky as the Mull man, you'll he found out.
All these dreadful imputations remind one of an Eastern say-
ing, ' The Koords are worse than the Arabs, the Arabs are worse
than the Yezidees, and the Yezidees are worse than Eblis '.
Cha 'n 'eil ann ach an t-uan na 's duibhe na 'mliàthair.
It's merely the lamb blacker than its dam.
Cha 'n 'eil ann ach an dara duine 'bhreith, 's an
duine eile 'blireith 'us àrach.
One man needs hut to he born, another to be horn and
hred.
This is an aciite observation on the advantages of hereditary
aristocracy and primogeniture.
Cha 'n 'eil ann ach fear ri caomhnadh 's fear ri
caitheanih.
One man saves and another spends.
Cuid an taisgeair aig an caithteair. — Ir.
Narrow gathered, widely spent. — J^ng., Scot.
Cha'n 'eil ann ach Iain 'us Dònull ; Dùuull cho math
ri Iain, 's Iain cho math ri Dònull.
It is plain John and Donald, — Doncdd as good as
John, and John as good as Donald.
Cha 'n 'eil ann ach leth-phlaide gun f huaghal.
He is but an unhemmed half-blanket.
Cha 'n 'eil ann ach mogan gun cheann.
He is a stocking without head or foot.
Cha 'n 'eil ann do 'n t-seann amadan.
No fool to the old fool. — Eng.
Chan 'nil amadan air bith is measa na sean- amadan— Jr.
Nae fules like the auld fules.— yb'co^.
The head grey, and no brains yet Ì—Eng.
Je alter der Geek, je schlimmer. — Germ.
Cha 'n 'eil heart an aghaidh na h-eigin.
There is no contrivance against necessity.
'AvdyKt] òvèè tìeoì fiaxovrai. — Gr.
Ingens telum necessitas. — Cic.