T sayings

(English Idioms & Sayings) SAYINGS START WITH T

tall oaks from little acorns grow

- everything has a small beginning before becoming big
The large chain of supermarkets began with one small country store but tall oaks from little acorns grow and it was now the largest supermarket chain in the world.

tell the truth and shame the devil

- it is better to tell the truth even though there may be good reasons not to
The woman had information about the illegal activities at her company. She was hesitant to become involved but she felt that it was better to tell the truth and shame the devil than to remain silent.

there are none so blind/deaf as those who will not see/hear

- people will not see or hear what they do not want to see or hear
There's none so blind as those who will not see and the mother refused to believe that her son was the cause of so much trouble in the community.

there are plenty of other fish in the sea

- there are many potential partners in the world
There are plenty of other fish in the sea, I told my friend when she separated from her boyfriend.

there is more than one way to skin a cat

- there is more than one way to do something
When my father taught me a different way to fix the car I realized that there was more than one way to skin a cat.

there is no accounting for taste

- it is difficult to understand why another person likes something
There is no accounting for taste I thought as I looked at the man in the red pants and the green shoes.

these things are sent to try us

- some difficulties appear in order to test our courage or patience
The woman had very strong religious beliefs and although she faced many difficulties, she believed that those things were sent to try her and she continued on.

third time lucky

- the third time that you try something you will be successful
The man was third time lucky when he applied for the job at the film company and he finally got the job.

the thought that counts

- the good intentions behind an action or a gift are more important than the action or the gift itself
Although the present that the man bought for his wife was not very expensive, it was the thought that counts and his wife was very happy.

time and a place for everything

- there are times and places when something should be done and other times in which they should not be done
There is a time and a place for everything and a symphony concert is not the place to discuss business.

time and tide wait for no man

- things will happen naturally no matter what you do so it is important to take an opportunity when it appears
Time and tide wait for no man and if you want to become an elected official then you should take the opportunity now as it may not come again.

time flies

- time seems to pass very quickly
Time flies and before we had a chance to enjoy the summer weather it was already autumn.

time is a great healer

- pain or sorrow will be less strongly felt as time passes
Time is a great healer and the parents could only hope that this was true as they tried to deal with the death of their only daughter.

time is money

- time is valuable and wasting time is like wasting money
"Time is money," the angry customer said as he waited for a long time at the car rental counter.

times change

- the values and fashions of life change
Times change and when my friend went to buy some tapes for her tape recorder she found that they were no longer being produced.

to the victor belong/go the spoils

- the winner of something achieves power over people and property
In ancient times a victory by an army usually meant that to the victor belong the spoils.

tomorrow is another day

- there will be another opportunity to do something in the future
The boy gave up his plans to get on the basketball team but tomorrow is another day and he will try again next year.

too many cooks spoil the broth

- if too many people try to do something then often the job will not be done well
There were four people trying to fix the broken air conditioner but too many cooks spoil the broth and there were too many people to do a good job.

truth is stranger than fiction

- real life is sometimes stranger than fiction
Truth is stranger than fiction and the man survived in the mountains for several months after his airplane crashed.

truth will out

- you cannot hide the truth about something
The politicians discovered that "the truth will out" applied to them more than to others when the media tried to learn the facts behind the scandal.

two heads are better than one

- two people working together can achieve better results than one person working alone
Two heads are better than one and when the two carpenters began to work together they quickly solved the problem of building the cabinets.

two's company, three's a crowd

- two people (often two people on a date) are happier when nobody else is around
The couple decided to go on a holiday with their friend but two's company and three's a crowd and none of the group were able to enjoy themselves.

two wrongs don't make a right

- you cannot justify doing something wrong or bad just because somebody else has done the same thing to you
Two wrongs don't make a right and just because the boy's friend was not punished for taking the equipment without permission, this did not make it right for others to do the same thing.

Posted by Learning English through Proverbs, Idioms and Sayings