My Grandma's Old Sayings from A to Z and More

By Ruby Jeans Jackson

Old sayings, idioms and synonyms are as Americana as apple pie. They are a part of our history and culture. "My Grandma's Old Sayings from A to Z and More" is a collection of over 800 old sayings and their meanings, that took the author five years to collect. Growing up in a small southern town in the 1950s and 60s, old sayings were a way of communicating. Although, times were hard, people didn't complain. It was a time when people said what they meant and meant what they said. They loved their neighbors. When a neighboring family hurt, all families hurt. When ask how things were going, the answer was always "fair to middling". When they parted ways at the end of the day, it was always "I'll see you tomorrow if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise". The author's grandma was a God-fearing woman who was full of joy. She loved to talk and old sayings were part of her everyday conversations. She had a saying for every situation, for good times and bad times. The "And More" at the end of the book is food for thought. There are fun words and phrases, do's and don'ts, sayings for good luck, sayings for bad luck, superstitions and little words with big meanings. Also, learn how people loved old sayings using body parts. Now, you can join the conversation and have fun! Remember the old saying, "to make an omelet, you'll have to crack some eggs."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644623190

Book preview

A

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

(Stopping something from happening first is easier than repairing the damage afterward)

Apples don’t fall far from the tree

(Children will more likely be like their parents)

A tough row to hoe

(Difficult problem to solve)

Association brings about assimilation

(Surround yourself with people who are heading in the right direction)

A tough cookie

(Mentally strong, not emotional or easy to break)

A dime a dozen

(Cheap, everybody has one)

A long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs

(Extremely nervous, very afraid to move)

A sore loser

(Can’t accept the fact that they lost)

A bitter pill to swallow

(Painful situation to accept)

A sure thing

(The real deal)

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link

(A family or organization is only as strong as its weakest member)

Ax to grind

(Having an ulterior motive)

A tough act to follow

(Having to follow an act that has set the standard so high it will be difficult to measure up to)

A rusty nickel is worth more than a shiny new penny

(Just because something is new and shiny don’t assume it’s worth more than something old)

A fat rat in a cheese factory

(Rich beyond one’s wildest dream)

A word to the wise should be sufficient

(An intelligent person can take a hint, and doesn’t need a long explanation)

A picture is worth a thousand words

(A picture can tell the story better than a confession or a written statement)

A piece of cake

(Easy to do)

A sucker is born every minute

(The world is full of gullible people)

A walk in the park

(Easy job to do)

A run for your money

(You got competition)

A bird in the hands is worth two in the bush

(You can only count what you have in your possession, the one in the bush is a maybe)

A fool knows the price of everything and the value of nothing

(Just because it costs a lot, doesn’t mean it’s valuable)

A big much to do about nothing

(The problem isn’t worth your time)

A wise man can act a fool, but a fool can’t act a wise man

(A fool is a fool every day of the week)

An accident waiting to happen

(Whatever the season, trouble is in your near future)

A basket case

(A mental breakdown, unable to cope state of mind)

Ace in the hole

(A sure thing)

Ace boon coon

(A best friend)

As good as gold

(Worth a lot)

As right as rain

(Sure thing)

Any way the wind blows

(going along with anything)

Always starting something

(An instigator)

Air your dirty laundry in public

(Telling your private business in public)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

(Separation is a good thing)

About to throw a fit

(So angry or agitated, you need to be restrained, tied up)

Above all, to thou self be true

(you can fool others, but can’t fool yourself)

Asked for it

(Got what you asked for without knowing it)

Action speaks louder than words

(What you say, should coincide with what you do)

All is fair in love and war

(Nothing is off limits, anything is acceptable)

All’s well that ends well

(Risky business is okay, as long as it ends well)

All that glitters ain’t gold

(Everything that look real, ain’t the real thing)

All things in its own time

(You will always get what’s due to you, in due time)

All goodbyes ain’t gone

(There is always tomorrow, you may meet again)

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

(Always balance your work and play life)

A lost ball, in high cotton or weeds

(A person who is lost or confused)

At the end of the day…

(After all is said and done, nothing has changed)

At the end of my ropes

(You’ve had all you can take)

Add fuel to the fire

(Making the situation worse)

Add insult to injury

(Making a bad situation worse)

An apple a day