"Hardly ever" saves many a lie.
Meaning: Silence prevents false claims by avoiding the need to explain or justify hasty words.
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 Communication
- What the heart thinketh, the tongue speaketh. — Unguarded speech reveals our true thoughts and character; we cannot conceal our inner nat…
- Many a true word is spoken in jest. — Humor provides cover for uncomfortable truths that people avoid stating seriously.
- Judge not a ship as she lies on the stocks. — Don't evaluate a vessel's true worth until it's launched and tested at sea.
- He tied a knot with his tongue he couldn't undo with his teeth. — Careless words spoken in haste create consequences far harder to retract than they were t…
- Laws catch flies, but let hornets go free. — Powerful people evade justice through legal loopholes while the powerless are punished fo…
- He lies as fast as a dog can trot. — Persistent deceit flows so naturally that the liar never pauses or hesitates in their fal…
From our idioms
- comprar briga — to intentionally provoke a quarrel or confrontation with someone.
- há algo de podre no reino da Dinamarca — something is deeply wrong or suspicious, though the truth may be hidden.
- nascer em berço de ouro — to be born into wealth and privilege; to come from a rich family.