Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Discarded proverbs

Talk of proverbs and good old Bill pops up like a bad penny, every time. This time, though, I must admit he popped up as a consequence of that '..to thine own self be true' crack that I quoted in my last post from his 'Hamlet'. Somewhere before that piece of advice, he also said, "Neither a lender nor a borrower be". (I know, two quotes within a space of a few words is a bit too much even for Bill, but then you know the guy. He seems incapable of writing, without scattering around quotes like confetti.)

Unlike most of Bill's quotes, this one about lending and borrowing has been pretty short-lived. I mean, if you started advising your kid this way, he would be on the phone calling for an ambulance from the nearest mental hospital even before you hit the 'be' in it. Just imagine putting an end to lending. Bang goes your entire banking industry and with it a few million jobs. As for putting an end to 'borrowing', what do you think the younger generation would have to live for? Currently, of course, they live to pay their EMIs.

With the 'lending/borrowing" thing dead as a dodo, another proverb also bit the dust. "A penny saved is a penny earned", indeed! That one needs to be kissed goodbye, fondly or otherwise, and replaced with "A penny borrowed is two pennies that have to be earned."

There is yet another proverb that needs discarding because it has failed to move with the times. "Don't look a gift horse in its mouth", they used to say. NOW, if you stopped looking gift horses in the mouth, you will start believing that THAT Nigerian lawyer, offering you a zillion pounds in an unclaimed bank account, deserves to get the complete details of your bank account - PIN, Internet banking passwords and all (Oh! And, by the way, I can quote a contradictory proverb here - "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts". THAT gift was a horse, too, although a wooden one and called a Trojan Horse, though the Trojans would have been pleased, in retrospect, to have nothing to do with it). Well, believe in that proverb if you want, but do not ask me to. My gift horses will receive a complete dental examination - from a safe distance of course.

And, no, I am not 'throwing away the baby with the bath-water', even though I am, as yet, undecided about the desirability of babies - since they have this unfortunate and undesirable habit of growing up!

38 comments:

  1. Quite a collection to be discarded! :-)

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  2. Hilarious! You bring out the frailties of English so beautifully!

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    1. Thanks Rachna! Times change, Some proverbs do not keep up :)

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  3. Hahaha, poor old Bill is rolling around in his grave some where! :D

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    1. He better - after inflicting so many quotable quotes on all of us :)

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  4. What a way to pay tribute to good ol' Bill and some oft repeated but outdated quotes :)

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    1. Bill was one in a million. No-one having nodding acquaintance with writing can avoid paying him a tribute.

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  5. Haha...enjoyed this one..esp the your two cents on the penny...:)

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  6. well, for ladies, a version works -- beware of GEEKS bearing gifts

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    1. Hahha! But Geeks never bear gifts - they send it online :P

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  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. Damn Touchpad :) Deleted the comment because my finger happened to touch the pad when the cursor was hovering over delete :(. Yeah, Naba! It did seem like this EMI thing was what was occupying top of mind for all you guys :P

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  8. Ha. One more proverbs post! Nice - Proverbs and quotes - good topic to have fun with.

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    1. Yup TF! When in drought (of ideas) go for proverbs :P

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  9. and what did the Bill ever do to you!!
    This was a piece of awesomeness!

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    1. You have been through school and you still ask this question? :P

      Thanks.

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  10. Ha ha :) So you followed up the "Never say never" comment with two more blog posts :) As always, awesome post sir..

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    1. Thanks Adarsh! And do not think you have seen the end of it, yet!

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  11. Enjoyed this thoroughly, Suresh. More proverbs please. :)

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  12. Hah! At the rate the current generation is going hammer and tongs at English, pretty much the only place we will even get to read proverbs and idioms would in posts like these!
    Good one, Suresh!

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    1. Hmm - So, in a way I am commemorating proverbs as well :)

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  13. Er...if we were to believe in "Neither a lender nor a borrower be", what's the point in having neighbours. Where would I go for the 'katori' of sugar, salt or turmeric at the ungodly hour?

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    1. Hahaha! THAT is one thing I missed. Though I have found that THAT sort of borrowing is only borrowing in name :)

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  14. Suresh, as always fantastic especially liked your take on Gift Horses :D

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    1. Thanks! You give them dental examinations too? :)

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  15. I am inspired to bring out my own takes

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  16. I am inspired too but not sure if can make it as interesting and as philosophical as you do.

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    1. Now YOU are being modest, Alka! I am sure you can do it better

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  17. I do get that gift from nigeria quite often in my email

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    1. And you look the gift horse in the mouth, right? :P

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  18. Nigerian lawyer & Trojan horse (dis)connection is too good :)

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    1. Thanks Anita! Great to see lines picked up :)

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  19. Back after a week long vacation to read your proverbial posts :) Btw though not a proverb, there is a phrase which I think is apt for your list.. the one that goes "Did he do that?? or did he do that???" Now tell me, why would one want to repeat that over and over again??? what purpose does it serve?? :P

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    1. Ha! Maybe they knew I was going to keep writing about proverbs - and kept repeating it :)

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