The greatest crabs are not always the best meat.
Meaning: Size alone doesn't guarantee quality; assess substance beneath surface appearances.
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 must crack the nut that would eat the kernel. — Effort and perseverance are necessary prerequisites; you cannot enjoy rewards without end…
- To a crazy ship all winds are contrary. — A disoriented mind finds obstacles everywhere, even when circumstances remain favorable.
- The worst wheel of a cart creaks most. — The most damaged or weakest part of any system draws attention and creates problems dispr…
- Credit lost is a Venice glass broken. — Once trust in your reliability shatters, it cannot be perfectly restored, only roughly me…
- Critics are like brushers of other men's clothes. — Critics remove surface blemishes from others' work while remaining invisible to their own…
- Crosses are ladders for getting to heaven. — Suffering and hardship, like rungs on a ladder, provide the necessary steps toward spirit…
From our tongue twisters
- Capra neagră sare piatra, piatra-i neagră, capra-i albă. — A rapid 'c/pr/n' alternation that gains speed — and the colour-swap at the end trips the…
- Μια πάπια μα ποια πάπια; μια πάπια με παπιά στα παγωμένα νερά. (Mia papia ma pia papia; mia papia me papia sta pagomena nera.) — A 'pa/pi/pag' drill — the near-identical syllables pile up while the image stays perfectl…
- Appilan pappilan apupapin papupata pankolla kiehuu ja kuohuu. — A relentless 'pap/pap/pu' bilabial drill stacked with Finnish double consonants.