JAMAICAN PROVERBS.

2. A greedy mek fly follow coffin go a hole.

3. A lawyer looks at you with one eye, but he looks at your pocket with two.

4. A little axe can cut down a big tree.
51. Eat fam’bly bittle but no cut fam’bly ‘tory.

61. Every dog knows his dinnertime.

62. Every man honest till de day him ketch.

63. Every man know whe’ him own house de leak.

64. Every mickle mek a mockle.

65. Feel like Gumbeh drum widout a goat-skin.

66. Fill your basket one item at a time.

67. Finger stink you can’t cut it trow it wey.

68. Fish-bone no lodge in a pickney troat alone.
71. Godamighty mek man straight, a rum mek him can’t ‘tan’ up.

72. Going to bed without dinner is better than waking up in debt.

73. Haad iyaz pick’ni bu’n a sun hot.

74. Han’ go, paki come.

75. Han’some face and good luck don’ trabble de same pass.

76. hog run fe him life, darg run fe him character.

77. Hog say, di fus water ‘im cetch ‘im walla.

78. Hog say, di fus water im cetch, I’m walla.

79. Howdy an ‘tenk yu, noh brok noh square.

80. I cow dod did know how him troat hole ton him wouldn’t chance pear seed.

69. Frog never gargle him troat till him tas’e fresh water.

70. Fry de bigh fish fust, te lilly one after.

52. Eat with the devil but give him a long spoon.

53. Ebery day a fishing-day, but no ebery day fe ketch fish.

54. Ebery day debil help tief, one day god help watchman.

55. Empty bag cyaa stan’ up.

56. Empty barrel mek de mos’ noise.

57. Empty pots will never boil over.

58. Enough with the irrelevant details.

59. Every cave-hole have him own duppy.

60. Every dog got dem diay, Every puss dem 4 O’ clock.

5. A little pepper burns a big man’s mouth.

6. A man with trousers that are too short should wear long suspenders.

7. A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows every corner.

8. A noh every mango got maggige.

9. A noh siame diay leaf drop a river bottom it rotten.

10. A pound a fret can’t pay an ounce a debt.

11. Ackee lub fat, ocra lub salt

12. All kind of fish eat man, only shark get blame.

13. Alligator lay egg but him no fowl.

14. Alligator lay egg, but ‘im noh fowl.

15. Alligator shouldn’ call hog long mout.

16. An old debt is better than an old grudge.

17. Bad luck wos dan Obeah.

18. Barking saves biting.

19. Beautiful ‘ooman, beautiful trouble.

20. Beautiful woman, beautiful trouble.

21. Beauty widout grace like rose widout smell.

22. Befo’ darg go widout supper, him nyam cockroach.

23. Before you married keep you’ two eye open; after you married, shut one.

24. Beggar beg from beggar him nebber get rich

25. Behind the dog it is “dog,” in front of it, it’s “mister dog.”

26. Blood follow vein.

27. Boastin’ man brudder a de liar.

28. Bucket wid hole a battam have no business a riverside.

29. Bushes have ears, walls have eyes.

30. Cap no fit you, you no tek i’ up.

31. Chicken deh merry, Hawk deh near.

32. Chip neber fly far from de block.

33. Clothes cover up character.

34. Cockroach neber so drunk him walk a fowl yard.

35. Cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight.

36. Cow non dead him wi shak him tail

37. Cows do not indulge in horseplay.

38. Cows have no business in horseplay.

39. Crab’n choke puppy.

41. Cuss-cuss noh bore hole a mi skin.

42. Cyaa tan fur, t’row saal inna pat

43. Darg-flea tell him pickeny him mustn’t say him dead till him ketch pon finger nail.

44. Daylight sho t’rough lilly keyhole.

45. De bes a field mus’ hab weed.

46. De higher monkey climb de more him expose.

47. De tune you playing no de one I dancing.

48. Dem give yu basket fi carry water.

49. Di daakes’ part a di night, a when diay soon light.

50. Duppy knwo who fi frighten.

81. If “How are you?” cost a cent, few would hear it.

82. If a flea had money, it would buy its own dog.

83. If chickens were judges, cockroaches would be sentenced.

84. If stars were loaves, many people would sleep out.

85. If you cannot dance, you will say the drumming is poor.

86. If you crape gourdy, you fin’ worm-hole.

87. If you don’t take it, you don’t have it.

88. If you follow a fool, you’re a fool yourself.

89. If you go a tump-a-foot dance, you must dance tump-a-foot.

90. If you saw what the river carried, you would never drink the water.

91. If you want half a bread, beg smaddy buy it, but if yu want a wan, buy it yuself.

92. If you want to know who your friends are, lie by the roadside and pretend to be drunk.

93. If you yearry debil a come, clear de way.

94. If yu cyaa tek di heat, get out a di kitchen.

95. If yu de shit, an’ si certain people/person a come; sidong inna it.

96. It’ better fi lose yu timedan yu character.

97. Keep both eyes open before you are married and afterwards close only one.

98. Keep your secret in your own gourdy.

99. Keep your shop and your shop will keep you.