M, N Sayings

(English Idioms & Sayings) Sayings Start with M, N

make hay while the sun shines

- to take advantage of opportunities and good conditions while you can
We wanted to make hay while the sun shines so we tried to finish the outside work while the weather was good.

many hands make light work

- a job is done easily if a lot of people share in the work
Many hands make light work and when the three men worked together they were able to quickly finish moving the furniture.

a miss is as good as a mile

- to miss success by a small amount is the same as missing it by a large amount
A miss is as good as a mile and although I almost passed the course, my marks were not good enough to get a diploma.

money doesn't grow on trees

- money is not easy to get but must be worked for
The girl's father told her that money doesn't grow on trees when she asked for money to buy new clothes.

money is no object

- there is much/enough money available so it does not matter how much you spend
Money was no object when the new stadium was built and it had the best equipment for both the fans and the players.

money is the root of all evil

- money is the main cause of most wrongdoing and problems
The woman stole some money from her company. It seems that money is the root of all evil, and can cause many problems.

money talks

- if you have lots of money you will be treated well, money can influence people
We learned that money talks when the rich couple got a reservation at the famous restaurant although we could not.

more haste, less speed

- if you try to do something quickly you may make mistakes and take longer to finish the task than you would normally have
The man was in a hurry to finish work but he made many mistakes and had to repeat some things again. This proved to him that more haste equals less speed.

the more the merrier

- the more people who participate in an activity then the more enjoyable the activity will be
The more the merrier, we thought as we invited many people to our dinner party.

necessity is the mother of invention

- if you need something you will be motivated to provide it
Necessity is the mother of invention and we fixed the door by using an old coat hanger.

never look a gift horse in the mouth

- do not complain when you receive a gift
You should never look a gift horse in the mouth and instead accept a gift even if you do not want or need it.

no news is good news

- when you do not receive any news about something or somebody it probably means that everything is going well
Although the woman had not heard from her son for several weeks, she believed that no news is good news and she did not worry.

no smoke without fire

- if there are rumors or signs of something then there is probably a reason for the rumors
There is no smoke without fire and the rumors of the political scandal suggested that it was partly true.

no time like the present

- now is the best time to do something
We are very busy but there is no time like the present so we have decided to go to the movie as we had planned.

no use crying over spilled/spilt milk

- there is no point in worrying or complaining about something that you cannot change
There is no use crying over spilled milk and we should not worry about what happened in the past.

a nod is as good as a wink to a blind man

- hinting about something can be accepted without further explanation
A nod is as good as a wink to a blind man so we decided to begin the project after our boss seemed to say that it was alright.

nothing is sacred

- important things or situations are treated with disrespect
Nothing is sacred and there are few subjects that the media will not talk about.

nothing succeeds like success

- when you are successful you will become more confident and gain respect which will lead to even greater success
Nothing succeeds like success and after my sister got her first promotion she began to do better and better at her job.

nothing ventured, nothing gained

- you cannot achieve success in something unless you are prepared to take a chance and risk failure
Nothing ventured, nothing gained the man thought as he decided to try and begin his own computer company and see if it would be successful.

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