ProverbChallengeEnglish origin

Drive not a second nail till the first is clenched.

Meaning: Complete each task fully before beginning another, ensuring solid progress rather than scattered effort.

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.

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  • Librairie Actually means 'bookshop'. A library is une bibliothèque.
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