Idioms and proverbs

A proverb is a wise saying born from a people’s centuries of life experience that expresses a short, complete thought. Nobody makes up proverbs anew; we bring them into speech ready-made. In a good proverb the thought is exact, the conclusion complete and the words few and concise. Proverbs make a thought vivid and colourful; using them in the right place shows the speaker’s skill. Proverbs usually consist of one or two parts, and words of opposite meaning are common in them: «Yaxshi so‘z — jon ozig‘i, yomon so‘z — bosh qozig‘i» (a kind word feeds the soul, a bad word is a nail in the head). More examples: «Oz-oz o‘rganib dono bo‘lur, qatra-qatra yig‘ilib daryo bo‘lur» (learning bit by bit makes one wise, drop by drop makes a river), «Ishlagan tishlaydi» (he who works, eats).