Rodgers Dictionary of Proverbs
A borrowed horse and your own spurs
make short miles.
A borrowed len should come laughing ah-
me.
A borrower may not lend the thing he bor-
rowed.
A bottle of oil warmed over the fire has no
means of producing oil by itself.
A bottle that believes it’s cracked to smile it
will end up on the dustbin.
A bountiful pear harvest means shortages
of everything else.
A bow long bent at last waxes weak.
A bow long bent at length waxeth weak.
A bow that is bent too far will break.
A bow too much bent is broken.
A bow too much bent will break.
A bowl should not laugh when a calabash
breaks.
A boy is better unborn than untaught.
A boy is easier cheated than an old lady.
A boy isn’t sent to collect the honey.
A boy living near a buddhist temple can
learn an untaught sutra by heart.
A boy may cry; but a man as to conceal his
pain.
A boy perched on a tree sees what an old
man sees seated on a stool.
A boy’s ears are on his back: he hears when
he is beaten.
A boy’s love is water in a sieve.
A boy’s will is the will of the wind.
A boys best friend is his mother and there’s
no spancel stronger than her apron
string.
A braggart is recognized by his headgear.
A brain is worth little without a tongue.
A branch of ‘mutundu’ does not hinder the
division of a field.
A brand burns him who stirs it up.
A brave man dies but once, a coward many
times.
A brave man dies once, a coward a thou-
sand times.
A brave man is scared of a lion three times:
first when he sees the tracks; second
when he hears the first roar; and third
when they are face to face.
A brave man seldom is hurt in the back.
A brave man who climbs trees is food for
their roots.
A brave man will face a situation no matter
how dreadful.
A braying ass eats little hay.
A bribe will enter without knocking
A bridle for the tongue is a necessary piece
of furniture.
A brilliant daughter makes a brittle wife.
A broke merchant counted his small
change.
A broken a ship hes come to land.
A broken canoe will buy a cow. (damaging
a person’s property may cost a fortune)
A broken friendship may be soldered, but
will never be sound.
A broken hand can work but a broken heart
can’t.
A broken hand works, but not a broken
heart.
A broken leg is not healed by a silk
stocking.
A broken sleeve holdeth the arm back.
A broken watch is right two times a day.
A broom is sturdy because its strands are
tightly bound.
A brother is a cooking pot, and a neighbour
is a cooking pot lid.
A brother is like one’s shoulder.
A brother may not be a friend . . . .
A brother’s wrath is a devil’s wrath.
A buckle is a great addition to an old shoe.
A buddha made of mud crossing a river
cannot protect even himself.
A buddha’s face when asked three times.
A buffalo does not feel the weight of his
own horns.
A buffeting threatened is never well given.
A building of sand falls as you build it.
A building without foundation is soon
demolished.
A bull is not known in two herds.
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