Sayings start with D, E

(English Idioms & Sayings)

Sayings start with D, E

devil take the hindmost

- everybody must look after their own interests or safety
The man's attitude was the devil take the hindmost and he never helped his friends when they needed help.

die is cast

- a decision has already been made and you cannot change it
We have decided to move to Paris. Now the die is cast and we cannot change our plans.

different strokes for different folks

- everyone has different interests and tastes
The man loves to read all night and sleep all day. It is definitely different strokes for different folks.

discretion is the better part of valor

- it is better to be careful and use discretion than to be too courageous and take unnecessary risks
Discretion is the better part of valor and the man decided not to make a complaint against his company.

do as I say, not as I do

- to follow someone's advice and not their actions
The man always said to do as he says and not as he does because his advice was always better than his actions

do as you would be done by

- treat other people the way that you would like them to treat you
"If you do not want people to criticize you, then you should not criticize other people. Remember to do as you would be done by."

do unto others as you would have others do unto you

- treat other people the way that you would like them to treat you
"Don't hurt the feelings of your friend. Remember, do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

early bird catches the worm

- arriving early gives one an advantage
My boss always comes to work early because he believes that the early bird catches the worm.

early to bed, early to rise

- going to bed early is good for you
The man believed that early to bed, early to rise was good for him and he always went to bed at 9:30 every night.

early to bed, early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy and wise

- going to bed early is good for you
Early to bed, early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy and wise was the advice that my grandmother gave me.

easier said than done

- something is easier to suggest or talk about than to actually do
It is easier said than done to decide that you will never eat chocolate again.

easy come, easy go

- something that you easily acquire may be easily spent/lost/wasted
The man always found a new job easily but then he would often quit the job quickly. For him it was always easy come, easy go.

eat, drink, and be merry

- enjoy yourself while you can without thinking about the future
The sailors always tried to eat, drink and be merry before they went on a voyage.

empty vessels make the most noise

- people who are the least intelligent are often the loudest and talk the most
The man talked endlessly but he never knew much about what he was saying. He was a good example that empty vessels make the most noise.

enough is as good as a feast

- what you have or have done should be satisfactory/enough
Enough is as good as a feast and having just enough can be as good as having much of something.

every cloud has a silver lining

- there is always something good in every problem or bad event
Although the fire destroyed the small business, every cloud has a silver lining and the business owners were able to build a new building which was better than the original one.

every dog has his day

- everyone will have his chance or turn
My friend is very discouraged because of his recent bad luck. However, every dog has his day and he should soon overcome those problems and find success.

exception proves the rule

- something that is different from what you believe or expect can prove that the belief is often true
All of the salespeople at the office are very talkative and outgoing but one person is the exception that proves the rule. He is very quiet and shy.

eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

- a crime or injury should be paid back equally
The athlete believed in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and he attacked the player who had hurt him during the previous game.

eyes are bigger than one's stomach

- when someone takes more food than he or she can eat
My eyes were bigger than my stomach at the buffet and I was unable to eat all of the food that I took.

Posted by Learning English through Idioms, Proverbs and Sayings