proverb

paraphrase

Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.

Don’t anticipate (=think that something will probably happen) the future too much.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Don’t invest (=put money, effort, time etc. into something to make a profit or get an advantage) all your efforts, or attention in just one thing.

Never judge a book by its cover.

Don’t judge people/things by their outward appearance.

Never look a gift-horse in the mouth.

Never refuse good fortune when it is there in front of you.

Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves.

Take care of small sums of money and they will become large sums.

proverb

paraphrase

When the cat’s away, the mice will play.

People will take advantage of someone else’s absence to behave more freely.

You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

You can try to persuade someone, but you can’t force them.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer.

One positive sign doesn’t mean that all will be well. A swallow is a very fast-flying bird that returns to Britain in late spring.

proverb

paraphrase

There’s no smoke without fore. or Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Rumors (=unofficial information that may or may not be true) are usually based on some degree of truth.

Too many cooks spoil the broth /brɔθ/(=soup).

Too many people interfering is a bad way of doing things.

People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

Don’t criticize (=say what you think is wrong or bad about something) others’ faults if you suffer from them yourself.