ProverbHuman Nature
Latin origin
Latin originA cat loves fish, but she's loth to wet her feet.
Meaning: Desire for something doesn't overcome reluctance to pay its necessary cost or risk.
Origin: A medieval proverb, known in Latin as catus amat piscem, sed non vult tingere plantas; John Heywood's collection has the cat that would eat fish and would not wet her feet. Shakespeare alludes to it in Macbeth, where Lady Macbeth taunts her hesitant husband as "like the poor cat i' the adage."
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- 吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮，不吃葡萄倒吐葡萄皮。(Chī pútao bù tǔ pútao pí, bù chī pútao dào tǔ pútao pí.) A 'pú/tǔ/pí' drill with reversing logic — the negations flip the meaning as the tongue tr…
- 黑化肥发黑会挥发；灰化肥发灰会挥发。(Hēihuàféi fā hēi huì huīfā; huīhuàféi fā huī huì huīfā.) A 'hēi/huī/huì/fā' four-tone minefield — the tones alone change every meaning.
- De kat krabt de krullen van de trap. A 'kr' cluster drill — Dutch consonant pileups that beginners approach with dread.
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