Jests, like sweetmeats, are often sour sauce.
Meaning: Humor that relies on mockery or cruelty leaves a bitter aftertaste despite its initial appeal.
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
- Judge not of men or things at first sight. — Snap judgments based on initial appearances miss the complexity that emerges through clos…
- Wood half burnt is easily kindled. — Partially damaged resolve or commitment reignites more readily than creating fresh determ…
- Kindnesses, like grain, increase by sowing. — Generosity multiplies when shared freely, returning abundance to those who give it.
- The taste of the kitchen is better than the smell. — Experiencing something firsthand surpasses merely anticipating or imagining it from a dis…
- To split knotty timber use smooth wedges. — Solving complex problems requires gentle, refined approaches rather than brute force or c…
- The knowledge of the disease is half the cure. — Identifying a problem precisely enables you to address it effectively rather than waste e…
From our untranslatable words
- Khalyava — Something good got for free and without effort — and, strictly, something you were never…
- Beloruchka — Someone who dodges dirty or hard work — a person whose hands stay conspicuously clean.
- Zapoi — A bender running for days, in which a person drops out of ordinary life entirely.