Where we least think, there goeth the hare away.
Meaning: Prey escape through negligence; danger strikes when vigilance wavers at supposed safe moments.
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
- Little dogs start the hare, but great ones catch it. — Small efforts initiate opportunities, yet substantial power and persistence are required…
- Sell not the hare's skin before you have caught him. — Count your gains only after securing them; premature celebration invites disappointment a…
- Haste trips up its own heels. — Rushing blindly causes you to stumble over obstacles you might have avoided through delib…
- Haste over nothing but catching fleas. — Rushing accomplishes nothing worthwhile; only frantic, undignified scrambling matches hur…
- Pull down your hat on the wind side. — Protecting yourself from hardship requires strategic positioning, not merely hoping diffi…
- Make hay while the sun shines. — Seize opportunities during favorable conditions before circumstances change and make prog…
From our tongue twisters
- O rato roeu a roupa do rei de Roma; a rainha com raiva roeu o resto. — An unstoppable 'r' trill drill — every key word begins or ends with the Portuguese r.
- Um tigre, dois tigres, três tigres tristes triscam trigo num trigal. — A 'tr' cluster drill that adds a sad adjective to make the alliteration worse.
- O papa papava o papo do pipo; o pipo papava o papo do papa. — A perfectly palindromic 'p' construction that reverses meaning when you swap the nouns.