‘CATCH me if you can’ cries the proverb running around corners, hiding behind haystacks, dancing through all seasons and activities of humanfolk.

Proverbs are memorable and handy devices conveying homespun advice and reflections among other things through vivid and effective language. Like idioms, they are highly dense in meaning and concentrated forms of utterances. As figures of speech their figurative meaning is framed in pithy, down-to-earth expression. The spelling out of their explanation, however, outdistances them in length. They are part of the oral tradition of any speech community. Proverbs from Latin, Greek, French and varieties of English like American or Australian English and disciplines like medicine, law and commerce along with quotations from the classics, Shakespeare and the Bible have acquired a permanent place in English.

They are usually structured in short, sometimes drastically abbreviated sentences. Many of them carry fossilised forms or dialect words eg ‘When in doubt do nowt’ (nothing). The language is often alliterative, rhyming and uses devices displaying deliberate contrast or exhibiting similar features, be they grammatical or lexical.

Astute, insightful observations on nature and its laws, universal truths, human character and behaviour, they offer commonsense advice, moral and ethical in character, often with a touch of humour. Make proverbs a part of your language repertoire and expression. Use them judiciously for maximum effect.

Read the following proverbs in Part-I and match them with their meaning in Part-II.

1. Make hay while the sun shines.

2. Look before you leap.

3. Necessity is the mother of invention.

4. Let bygones be bygones.

5. All that glitters is not gold.

6. Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

7. Half a loaf is better than bread.

8. Paddle your own canoe.

9. Cut your coat according to your cloth.

10. Fair words butter no parsnips.

11. If two men ride a horse, one must ride behind.

12. Never buy a pig in a poke.

a. Before you part with your money carefully examine what you wish to buy.

b. Don’t grumble if a present you receive is not exactly to your liking.

c. Deeds are better than words.

d. When a person wants a thing keenly enough, he will often think so hard about it that he makes a new discovery.

e. When people work together, one must be the leader.

f. Make good use of your opportunities when they come.

g. Depend on yourself rather than on others.

h. Consider the possible consequences before rushing to do a thing.

i. Don’t rake up old quarrels.

j. Things that look attractive are not always the best.

k. If you cannot get all you want, make the best of what you can get.

l. Make your plans fit your circumstances.

1-f, 2-h, 3-d, 4-i, 5-j, 6-b, 7-k, 8-q, 9-l, 10-c, 11-e, 12-a