Preposterous Proverbs (eBook)

Proverbs ... we've all grown up with them and we probably repeat them without much thought. Yes, 'a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' and 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', but these sayings have almost become clichs - and it is the same in every country and culture. Such 'pearls of wisdom' play a key role in the moral guidance of societies everywhere. Sometimes the wisdom is distinctly odd, sometimes it has become outdated and sometimes it is simply contradictory. After all, do 'many hands make light work' or do 'too many cooks spoil the broth'? You can't really have it both ways. In 'Preposterous Proverbs', language expert Max Cryer looks at a vast array of proverbs from around the world on subjects ranging from birth, food, women and love to money, animals, sin and death. He has chosen some of the most interesting and perplexing, and analyses their meaning and truth with his characteristic wry wit. A great book to dip into, 'Preposterous Proverbs' will take you from Greece ('A thousand men cannot undress a naked man') and Japan ('Fools and scissors must be carefully handled') to Russia ('The more you sleep, the less you sin') and India ('A fat spouse is a quilt for the winter').

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From our earliest years we have heard proverbs, and many of them are repeated without much thought. Yes, 'birds of a feather flock together' and 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', but these sayings are so familiar that we are scarcely aware they are proverbs. It has been so for thousands of years, in every culture. It is only when someone like Max Cryer takes the time to look at them that we can see how these 'pearls of wisdom' have played such a key role in the moral guidance of every society. Sometimes the wisdom is distinctly odd, sometimes it has become outdated, and sometimes it is simply contradictory. After all, do 'many hands make light work' or do 'too many cooks spoil the broth'? You can't really have it both ways.In 'Preposterous Proverbs', Max Cryer looks at a vast array of proverbs from around the world. Proverbs on birth, food, women and love rub shoulders with others on money, animals, sin and death. He has chosen some of the most interesting and perplexing, and with his characteristic wry wit he analyses their meaning and truth. A great book to dip into, 'Preposterous Proverbs' will take you from Greece ('A thousand men cannot undress a naked man') and China ('A dry finger cannot pick up salt') to Japan ('Fools and scissors must be carefully handled') and India ('A fat spouse is a quilt for the winter').