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Knowledge & Wisdom - Foolishness

Discover how English proverbs like "a fool's bolt is soon shot" and "little things please little minds" depict foolishness in English.

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Knowledge & Wisdom
when the wine is in, (the) wit is out

used to warn that excessive drinking impairs a person's judgment and ability to think clearly

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Definition & Meaning of \"when the (wine|ale) is in, (the|) wit is out\"
a fool knows more in his own house than a wise man in another

used to imply that a foolish person can have more knowledge in their own area of expertise than a wise person who is unfamiliar with that area

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Definition & Meaning of \"a fool knows more in his own house than a wise man in another\"
a fool may ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can answer in seven years

used to imply that some people may ask questions without thinking deeply, while a wise person considers the subject matter before responding

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Definition & Meaning of \"a fool may ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can answer in seven years\"
a fool's bolt is soon shot

used to imply that a foolish person acts quickly without much thought or consideration

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Definition & Meaning of \"a fool's bolt is soon shot\"
a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client

used to imply that it is generally unwise for someone to act as their own advocate or counselor in matters that require objectivity and specialized knowledge

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Definition & Meaning of \"a (lawyer|man) who represents himself has a fool for a client\"
fools build houses and wise men live in them

used to suggest that wise individuals make practical choices by considering various factors and avoiding unnecessary risks, while fools may make hasty or unwise decisions

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Definition & Meaning of \"fools build houses and wise men (live in|buy) them\"
not know B from a battledore

used to imply that someone is completely ignorant or uneducated

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Definition & Meaning of \"not know B from a battledore\"
some are wise, (and) some are otherwise

used to emphasize that people have varying levels of intelligence, knowledge, or common sense

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Definition & Meaning of \"some are wise, (and|) some are otherwise\"
stupid is as stupid does

used to imply that a person's actions and behavior are a better indicator of their intelligence or lack thereof than their words or appearance

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Definition & Meaning of \"stupid is as stupid does\"
there is a sucker born every minute

used to imply that there are always gullible or naive people who can be easily deceived or taken advantage of by others

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Definition & Meaning of \"there is (a sucker|one) born every minute\"
there is no fool like an old fool

used to suggest that an older person who behaves foolishly is especially deserving of criticism for not having learned from their past experiences

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Definition & Meaning of \"there is no fool like an old fool\"
young folks think old folks to be fools, but old folks know young folks to be fools

used to imply that young people tend to underestimate the wisdom and experience of older people, while older people are aware of the shortcomings and lack of experience of younger people

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Definition & Meaning of \"young folks think old folks to be fools, but old folks know young folks to be fools\"
ask a silly question and get a silly answer

used to suggest that the quality of a question influences the quality of the answer, and that a poorly thought-out or irrelevant question is unlikely to result in a useful answer

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Definition & Meaning of \"ask a silly question and get a silly answer\"
knaves and fools divide the world

used to imply that dishonest and foolish people often create conflict and division in society, as both intentionally or unintentionally are enemies of truth

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Definition & Meaning of \"knaves and fools divide the world\"
little things please little minds

used to imply that people with limited intellect or imagination find satisfaction in small and trivial things, while those with greater intelligence seek more meaningful experiences

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Definition & Meaning of \"little things please little minds\"
monkey see, monkey do

used to imply that people tend to imitate the actions of others, especially those they admire or consider as role models, without necessarily understanding the reasons behind those actions

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Definition & Meaning of \"monkey see, monkey do\"
a fool may throw a stone into a well which a hundred wise men can not pull out

used to imply that a single foolish action can have significant and sometimes irreversible consequences that may require much effort and wisdom to fix

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Definition & Meaning of \"a fool may throw a stone into a well which a hundred wise men can not (pull|get) out\"
a fool at forty is a fool indeed

used to say that when a person remains foolish and lacks wisdom even after reaching the age of forty, it strongly signifies their inherent foolishness that is unlikely to be corrected

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Definition & Meaning of \"a fool at forty is a fool (indeed|forever)\"
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