ProverbChallengeEnglish origin

An ill marriage is a spring of ill fortune.

Meaning: Poor marital compatibility creates cascading hardships affecting every aspect of one's life and wellbeing.

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: False Friends

Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

Browse all false friends →

Keep exploring

Explore all proverbs →