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

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Fear a' chinn duibh 's na fiasaige ruaidhe, na teirig
eadar e 's a' chreag.
Black head, red heard — lonH go hetween him and the
rock.
Fear a cliuirear a dh-aindeoin do 'n allt, bristidli e na
soithichean.
He that goes umvillingly for tvater loill break the pitcher.
Fear a' ghearain-ghnà, cha 'n fhaigli e truas 'n a chàs.
He that always complains is never pitied. — Eng.
Fear 'am baile 's aire as, 's fhearr as na ann e.
A man in a farm and his thoughts away is better out
of it than in it.
Fear 'an àite fir 's e 'dh fhàgas am fearann daor.
Tenant after tenant makes the land dear.
Fear an ime mhoir, 's e 's binne glòir.
The man of great wealth has the sweetest voice.
Lit. ' Of great butter.'
Fear an t-saoghail fliada, cha bhi baoghal h-uige.
The man of long life will escape danger.
He can't die before liis time. See 'Cha tig am bàs'.
Fear cleite gun bhogsa, 'us bleidire gun amharus.
A quill-driver without a box, and a beggar without
suspicion.
Extraordinary things.
Fear dubh dàna ; fear ban bleideil ;
Fear donn dualach ; 's fear ruadh sgeigeil.
Black man bold ; fair man officious ;
Brown man curly ; red man scornfid.
Fear dubh dana ; fear fionn glideamhuil, (timid) ;
Fear donn dualach ; fear ruadh sgigeamhuil. — Ir.
Fair and foolish ; black and proud ;
Long and lazy ; little and loud. — Eng., Scot.
Fear faire na h-aon sùla. The one-eyed watcher.
This is a legendary character — Ai-gus, but one-eyed.
Fear gealtach 's an aoir.
A timid man at the main-sheet.
The wrong man for the place.