ProverbChallengeEnglish origin

A bribe will enter without knocking.

Meaning: Corruption bypasses all legitimate barriers and procedures that protect institutions from improper influence.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words

Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.

  • Yugen A profound, mysterious sense of the universe that is too deep for words — the feeling of…
  • Koi no yokan The intuitive feeling upon first meeting someone that you will inevitably fall in love wi…
  • Amae The comfortable feeling of depending on another's goodwill — leaning into someone's indul…

Browse all untranslatable words →

Keep exploring

Explore all proverbs →