Brag's a good dog if he be well set on; but he dare not bite.
Meaning: Empty boasting lacks substance—confidence unsupported by real ability cannot sustain itself under scrutiny.
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.
More proverbs about Morality
- Business is the salt of life. — Commerce and productive work preserve society's vitality, preventing the staleness and de…
- A bad bush is better than the open field. — Imperfect shelter still protects you better than standing completely exposed to danger.
- A child may have too much of his mother's blessing. — Excessive maternal indulgence weakens a child's resilience and capacity for independent g…
- Tis the clerk makes the justice. — A skilled administrator or clerk can effectively shape legal outcomes through their knowl…
- A merry companion on the road is as good as a nag. — Good company during tedious travel makes the journey feel shorter and less burdensome.
- Cold of complexion, good of condition. — Temperamental coldness in personality often accompanies moral virtue and sound character.
From our tongue twisters
- A aranha arranha a rã. A rã arranha a aranha. — Contrasts the soft single r of aranha against the hard rolled rr of arranha — one letter…
- 네가 그린 기린 그림은 못 그린 기린 그림이고 내가 그린 기린 그림은 잘 그린 기린 그림이다. (Nega geurin girin geurimeun mot geurin girin geurimigo, naega geurin girin geurimeun jal geurin girin geurimida.) — geurin, girin and geurim rotate through nearly the same syllables with only the vowel mov…
- 앞 집 팥죽은 붉은 팥 풋팥죽이고, 뒷집 콩죽은 햇콩 단콩 콩죽이다. (Ap jip patjugeun bulgeun pat put-patjugigo, dwitjip kongjugeun haetkong dankong kongjugida.) — Stacks Korean's aspirated p and k against the final consonants, so every word ends where…