B

Three things it is best to avoid: a strange dog, a flood, and a man who thinks he is wise. (Welsh)

Ax, Axe Don’t use an axe to embroider. (Malaysian) Little ax can cut down big tree. (Jamaican) The ax falls first upon a straight tree. (Korean) The ax forgets what the tree remembers. (Roman) The ax strikes the chisel, and the chisel strikes the wood. (Chinese) You need a sharp axe for a tough bough. (Russian)

Baby Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. (English) Kissing the baby touches the mother’s cheek. (Siamese) Throw not the baby out with the bath. (Danish) When the baby grows, the crying changes. (African)

Bachelor, Bachelorhood Bachelor, a peacock; betrothed, a lion; married, an ass. (Spanish) There is no sovereignty like bachelorhood. (Turkish)

Back ‘Give me a push from my back’ does not mean give me a hunchback. (Nigerian) The willing back gets all the load. (German)

Backbite The listener makes the backbiter. (French)

Bacon In the end, it will be known who ate the bacon. (French)

Bad A bad cause requires many words. (German) Bad is never good until worse happens. (Danish) Bad tidings always come too soon. (German) Bad ware is never cheap. (French) Bad ware must be cried up. (German) He keeps his road well enough who gets rid of bad company. (Portuguese) Nothing bad is all bad. (Mexican) Nothing so bad as not to be good for something. (German) Nothing so bad but it finds its master. (Dutch) Nothing so bad but it might have been worse. (Dutch)

Once bad is to be presumed always bad. (Roman) ’Tis easier to prevent bad habits than to break them. (Poor Richard) What is bad for one is good for another. (French)

Bad Luck All is good luck or bad luck in this world. (French) Bad luck comes by pounds and goes away by ounces. (Italian) Bad luck is good for something. (French) Bad luck upon bad luck, and a stone for a pillow. (Spanish) Even the luckless need their luck. (Yiddish) He that has no bad luck grows weary of good luck. (Spanish) If a black cat crosses the street, bad luck is around the corner. (Unknown) In bad luck, hold out; in good luck, hold in. (German) See a pin and pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck

you’ll have all day. (French) Storing milk in a sieve, you complain of bad luck? (Afghani)

Bad Name Give a dog a bad name and it will begin to stink. (Unknown) Give a dog a bad name and you may as well hang it. (English)

Bad News Bad news always comes in the morning. (English) Bad news comes apace. (German) Bad news has wings. (French) Bad news is always true. (Spanish) Bad news is the first to come. (Italian) Bad news runs a thousand miles. (Japanese) Bad news travels fast. (American) Bad news travels faster than good. (Unknown) Bad news comes in threes. (American) Before good news goes out the door, bad news is known for a thousand miles. (Chinese) Good news knocks louder than bad. (Spanish) He who brings bad tidings, comes soon enough. (German) Ill tidings come soon enough. (Dutch)

Bagpipe, Bagpiper Bring not a bagpipe to a man in trouble. (Roman) In the bagpiper’s house, all are dancers. (Spanish) The bagpipe never utters a word till its belly is full. (French)

Bait A little bait catches a large fish. (Greek) He who does not bait his hook fishes in vain. (French) It is not the hook or the rod, but the bait that lures. (Spanish)

The bait hides the hook. (English) The fish sees the bait, not the hook. (Chinese)

Bake, Baker As you bake, so shall you brew. (German) As you brew, so you shall bake. (Dutch) He is little suited to be a baker, whose head is made of butter. (Danish) The baker’s child goes hungry. (Turkish) You must bake with the flour you have. (Danish)

Balance (Scale) The balance in doing its job knows neither gold nor lead. (French)

Bald A bald head is combed before dawn. (Spanish) A bald head is soon shaven. (German) A completely bald head is like the full moon. (Spanish) After a hundred years we shall all be bald. (Spanish) God made a few good heads, and put hair on the rest. (American) Hair by hair and the head gets bald. (Danish) No one becomes bald overnight. (Spanish)

Bale By their bindings the bales are known. (Italian)

Ball He that plays at racket must watch the ball. (Dutch) Keep your eye on the ball. (American) Take the ball as it bounces. (French) Take the ball on the hop. (Irish)

Bamboo You won’t help bamboo shoots grow by pulling them up higher. (Chinese) Young bamboo trees are easy to bend. (Vietnamese)

Baptize Baptize your own child first. (Irish)

Barbarians Set barbarians to stop barbarians. (Chinese)

Barber A barber does not shave himself. (African) A barber learns to shave by shaving fools. (Rumanian) He is a very sorry barber who has but one comb. (Italian)

Never ask a barber if you need a haircut. (American) On a fool’s beard the barber learns to shave. (Italian) On poor people’s beards the young barber learns his trade. (German) One barber shaves the other. (German) The bad barber leaves neither hair nor skin. (Spanish) The village barber knows the village news. (Spanish)

Barefoot He that goes barefoot must not plant thorns. (English) He that sows thorns, should never go barefoot. (Poor Richard)

Bargain, Bargaining A bargain is a bargain. (German) A good bargain is a pick-purse. (Polish) At a good bargain pause and ponder. (Italian) At a great pennyworth pause awhile. (English) Bargaining has neither friends nor relations. (Poor Richard) Bargains are costly. (German) Don’t bargain for fish which are still in the water. (Indian) Go to a man in difficulty and you will get a bargain. (Irish) Good bargains are ruinous. (French) Good seems every bargain that is far away. (Irish) Great bargains empty the purse. (Italian) He who hunts after bargains will scratch his head. (Catalan) It is a bad bargain, where both are losers. (Roman) It is only good bargains that ruin. (French) It takes two to make a bargain. (American) It’s never a bargain when you spend money to save money. (the Editor) Let your bargain suit your purse. (Irish) Make every bargain clear and plain, that none may afterwards complain. (Roman) Make the best of a bad bargain. (German) Make your bargain before beginning to plow. (Spanish) No one gets a bargain he does not ask for. (French) On a good bargain, think twice. (English)

Bark, Barking His bark is worse than his bite. (English) One barking dog sets the whole street to barking. (Unknown) One dog barks at something, the rest bark at him. (Chinese) The barking of a dog does not disturb the man on a camel. (Egyptian) The barking of dogs does not reach Heaven. (Sicilian) The dog barks and the ox feeds. (Italian) The dog barks at the stone, not at him that throws it. (German) The dog does not bark in its own house. (Egyptian) The dog that barks much is never good for hunting. (Portuguese)

The dog that barks much, bites little. (Portuguese) The dog that bites does not bark in vain. (Italian) The dog that has no understanding barks loudly. (Japanese) The dog’s bark is not might but fright. (Madagascan) The dogs may bark but the caravan moves on. (Arabian) The greatest barkers bite not sorest. (English) The lion does not turn around when a small dog barks. (African) The smaller the dog, the hardier the bark. (the Editor) When an old dog barks, look out. (Roman) When dog is eating it cannot bark, lest its food run away. (Unknown) When one dog barks, another will follow suit. (Roman) Why keep a dog and bark yourself? (English)

Barkeeper The barkeeper loves a drunk, but not for a son-in-law. (Yiddish)

Barn The barn may not be beautiful but it keeps out rain. (Hausan)

Bashful, Bashfulness A bashful dog never fattens. (German) Bashfulness is of no use to the needy. (Dutch) It is only the bashful that lose. (French) Bashfulness will not avail a beggar. (Roman)

Bastard A bastard is the son of no one. (Roman) Don’t let the bastards grind you down. (Portuguese)

Bathe Bathe early every day and sickness will avoid you. (Indian) One who bathes willingly with cold water doesn’t feel the cold. (Tanzanian)

Battle A bold onset is half the battle. (German) Away from the battle all are soldiers. (German) In the stress of battle brave men do not feel their wounds. (Roman) Seldom is there a battle from which no one escapes. (Irish) There is no battle unless there be two. (Roman)

Bay Each bay has its own wind. (Fijian)

Be Better that it be so than that it may be so. (Irish)

That which must be, will be. (Danish) What has not been, may be. (Italian) What must be, must be. (Spanish) What will be, will be. (Italian)

Beak Every hooked beak is maintained by prey. (French)

Beam No matter how stout one beam, it cannot support a house. (Chinese)

Bean Every bean hath its black. (English)

Bear (noun) Bear won’t bite bear. (Roman) Call the bear ‘Uncle’ till you are safe across the bridge. (Turkish) Don’t play with a bear if you don’t want to be bit. (Italian) Don’t sell the bear’s skin before you enter the woods. (Yiddish) Don’t sell the bear skin before you have killed the bear. (German) Even savage bears agree among themselves. (Roman) The bear dances but the owner collects the fare. (Korean)

Bear (verb) Bear and forbear. (English) Easy to declare, hard to bear. (Yiddish)

Beard A man without a beard is like a loaf without a crust. (Russian) He who dyes his beard deceives no one but himself. (Spanish) He who has a beard entertains himself with it. (Spanish) If a beard were all, the goat would be the winner. (Danish) If being well-bearded brings happiness, then a he-goat must be happier than any of us.