单词 | an ounce of mother wit is worth a pound of clergy |
释义 | > as lemmasan ounce of mother wit is worth a pound of clergy c. In proverbial phrases denoting a small amount of something immaterial, contrasted with pound (or occasionally stone, etc.), as an ounce of mother wit is worth a pound of clergy (chiefly Scottish), an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (U.S.), etc. Cf. pound n.1 1c. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > a quantity or amount > of an imponderable thing poundOE ounce1526 the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > a small quantity or amount > specifically of something immaterial ounce1526 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection ii. sig. Miiiv Better is one vnce of good lyfe, than .x. pounde of pardon. 1592 G. Delamothe French Alphabeth ii. 55 An ounce of discretion, is better worth, then a pounde of hardinesse. 1629 Bk. Merry Riddles 26 An ounce of state requires a pound of gold. 1670 Sc. Prov. in J. Ray Coll. Eng. Prov. 264 An ounce of mothers wit is worth a pound of Clergy. 1685 R. Codrington Proverbs 116 Miseries come by pounds, but go away by ounces. 1734 B. Franklin Ess. (1987) 239 As an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, I would advise 'em to take care how they suffer living brands-ends. 1748 J. Eliot Ess. Field-husbandry in New-Eng. 12 It used to be the saying of an old man, that an ounce of experience is better than a pound of science. 1822 S. Smith Wks. (1859) II. 3/1 The old saying, that an ounce of mother wit is worth a pound of clergy. 1844 F. Palgrave Truths & Fictions Mid. Ages (ed. 2) 118 An ounce of mother wit, improved by observation, is worth a stone of book-knowledge. 1866 R. D. Blackmore Cradock Nowell II. ix. 187 Remember that rigid probity, and the strictest punctuality..are the very soul of business, and that an ounce of practice is worth a pound of precept. 1925 J. Galsworthy Caravan 667 An ounce of fact is worth a ton of theory. 1926 People's Home Jrnl. Feb. 43/1 An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure. 1992 D. Seymour & T. Seymour America's Best Classrooms ix. 65 The recipe..to create the proper learning environment involves an ounce of prevention, a cup of organization, one tablespoon each of fairness and follow-through, and a pinch of excitement. < as lemmas |
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