Fish are not to be caught by a birdcall.
Meaning: Wrong tools waste effort; match your methods to your actual target.
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 Wisdom
- He fisheth on that catcheth one. — Success in any endeavor comes only to those who actually persist in the attempt, not mere…
- Every shoe fits not every foot. — Different solutions work for different people; what suits one person may not suit another…
- Where every hand fleeceth, the sheep go naked. — Widespread petty theft by many people causes greater damage than a single large theft wou…
- Flowers are the pledge of fruit. — Beautiful beginnings promise productive outcomes, so nurture promising signs carefully fo…
- The foremost dog catches the hare. — Speed and initiative win the prize; those who act first gain advantage over competitors.
- Change of fortune is the lot of life. — Life's circumstances shift unpredictably, so neither prosperity nor hardship remains perm…
From our idioms
- venir mal dadas — For things to go wrong or turn out badly.
- hacer antesala — To wait in an outer room or lobby, often in a position of subordination or anticipation.
- lío de faldas — A romantic or sexual entanglement with a woman; an affair.