ProverbChallenge
Latin origin1589
Latin origin1589Boys will be boys.
Meaning: Youthful mischief and rowdiness stem from natural masculine energy rather than moral failing.
Origin: It began as a Latin proverb — children are children and do childish things — recorded in English translation in 1589. Thomas Deloney's The Gentle Craft made it "youth will be youth" soon after, and "boys will be boys" appears in letters written around 1751. It excuses mischief as natural to the young, and is now often challenged for excusing too much.
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