Rodgers Dictionary of Proverbs
When a merchant talks about sheep he
means the hide.
When a miller fights with a chimney sweep,
the miller gets black and the chimney
sweep gets white.
When a miser dies, the heirs feel as happy as
when they kill a pig.
When a monkey doesn't get a banana, he
eats chillies.
When a monkey is pursued, a foolish
baboon laughs.
When a mother calls her child bastard, you
can take her word for it.
When a mother has twins, she must sleep on
her back.
When a mouse has fallen into a meal sack,
he thinks he is the miller himself.
When a mouse makes fun of a cat, there is a
hole nearby.
When a musician hath forgotten his note, he
makes as though a crumb stuck in his
throat.
When a naked person promises you cloth
beware.
When a needle falls into a deep well, many
people will look into the well, but few
will be ready to go down after it.
When a needle sees a dagger, she cries "O
sister!"
When a neighbor gets divorced everyone
thinks of his own wife.
When a net is worn out, it is thrown away
on the shore.
When a new saying gets to the land of
empty men they lose their heads over it.
When a once-beautiful piece of cloth has
turned into rags, no one remembers that
it was woven by Ukwa master weavers.
When a palm-branch reaches its height, it
gives way for a fresh one to grow.
When a peasant gets rich, he knows neither
relations nor friends.
When a person is not as she used to be, she
does not behave as she used to behave.
When a person regrets endlessly, he gets to
pay more for what he regrets.
When a pig has eaten its full, it pushes over
689
its trough.
When a plate is covered, its contents are
hidden.
When a poor man eats a chicken, one or the
other is sick.
When a poor man gets a little money, his
thoughts go off in ten different
directions.
When a poor man gets lucky, nothing can
contain him.
When a poor man gets something he boasts
of his new wealth.
When a proud man hears another praised,
he feels himself injured.
When a rat is seated on the edge of a clay
pot it cannot be killed.
When a rat mocks a cat then you know there
is a hole nearby.
When a rat swims with a frog, it dies of cold.
When a rich man caresses a poor man, he's
going to take advantage of him.
When a rich man comes to bad times, he
doesn't know what to do.
When a rich man falls they say it was an
accident; when a poor man falls they say
that he was drunk.
When a rich man wants children, he gets
dollars, when a poor man wants dollars,
he gets children.
When a rich man's dog died, everyone
commiserated. When a poor man lost his
mother, no one noticed.
When a ripe fruit sees an honest man, it
drops.
When a shield wears out, the framework
still remains.
When a ship is broken, the accident does not
prevent others from sailing.
When a sickle is drawn, it in turn draws the
tree to which it is hooked.
When a simpleton finds something, he finds
it for those with axes. (a man without
basic tools or capital will never succeed
in life)