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A BARKING dog never bites
Cf. Q. CURTIUS
De Rebus Gestis Alexandri Magni
VII. iv. 13
canem timidum vehementius latrere quam mordere
, a timid cur barks more furiously than he bites [said there to be a Bactrian saying]; 13th-cent. Fr.
chascuns chiens qui abaie ne mort pas
, the dog that barks does not bite.
c
1550
Thersytes
E1
Great barking dogges, do not most byte And oft it is sene that the best men in the hoost Be not suche, that vse to bragge moste.
1595
Locrine
(1908) IV. i.
Soft words good sir … A barking dog doth sildome strangers bite.
1629
Book of Merry Riddles
22
A barking dog seldome bites.
1730
Traulus
I. 5
Your barking Curs will seldom bite.
1837
Arethusa
III. x.
Our dogs which bark, Abdallah, seldom bite.
1980
Daily Telegraph
1 May 18
A canvassing candidate came to a house where there was an Alsatian who barked ferociously. His agent said: ‘Just go in. Don't you know the proverb “A barking dog never bites”?’ ‘Yes,’ said the candidate, ‘I know the proverb, you know the proverb, but does the dog know the proverb?’
words and deeds
De Rebus Gestis Alexandri Magni
VII. iv. 13
canem timidum vehementius latrere quam mordere
, a timid cur barks more furiously than he bites [said there to be a Bactrian saying]; 13th-cent. Fr.
chascuns chiens qui abaie ne mort pas
, the dog that barks does not bite.
c1550
Thersytes
E1
Great barking dogges, do not most byte And oft it is sene that the best men in the hoost Be not suche, that vse to bragge moste.
1595
Locrine
(1908) IV. i.
Soft words good sir … A barking dog doth sildome strangers bite.
1629
Book of Merry Riddles
22
A barking dog seldome bites.
1730
Traulus
I. 5
Your barking Curs will seldom bite.
1837
Arethusa
III. x.
Our dogs which bark, Abdallah, seldom bite.
1980
Daily Telegraph
1 May 18
A canvassing candidate came to a house where there was an Alsatian who barked ferociously. His agent said: ‘Just go in. Don't you know the proverb “A barking dog never bites”?’ ‘Yes,’ said the candidate, ‘I know the proverb, you know the proverb, but does the dog know the proverb?’
words and deedsBARNABY bright, Barnaby bright, the longest day and the shortest night
St. Barnabas' Day, 11 June, was reckoned the longest day of the year under the Old Style calendar. Cf.
1595
SPENSER
Epithalamion
l. 266 This day the sunne is in his chiefest hight, With Barnaby the bright.
1659
Proverbs
(English) 20
Barnaby bright, the longest day and shortest night.
1858
Notes & Queries
2nd Ser. VI. 522
In some parts of the country the children call the lady-bird Barnaby Bright, and address it thus:—‘Barnaby Bright, Barnaby Bright, The longest day and the shortest night.’
1906
Country Diary of Edwardian Lady
(1977) 72
Barnaby bright All day and no night.
1921
Diary
11 June in
Enemies of Promise
(1938) xxi.
Barnaby bright Barnaby bright The longest day And the shortest night. A bright day indeed.
1978
Calendar of Country Customs
vii.
Barnaby bright, Barnaby bright, The longest day and the shortest night, is a reminder that, before the change in the calendar in 1752, 11 June
was
the longest day of the year.
calendar lore
1595
SPENSER
Epithalamion
l. 266 This day the sunne is in his chiefest hight, With Barnaby the bright.
1659Proverbs
(English) 20
Barnaby bright, the longest day and shortest night.
1858
Notes & Queries
2nd Ser. VI. 522
In some parts of the country the children call the lady-bird Barnaby Bright, and address it thus:—‘Barnaby Bright, Barnaby Bright, The longest day and the shortest night.’
1906
Country Diary of Edwardian Lady
(1977) 72
Barnaby bright All day and no night.
1921
Diary
11 June in
Enemies of Promise
(1938) xxi.
Barnaby bright Barnaby bright The longest day And the shortest night. A bright day indeed.
1978
Calendar of Country Customs
vii.
Barnaby bright, Barnaby bright, The longest day and the shortest night, is a reminder that, before the change in the calendar in 1752, 11 June
was
the longest day of the year.
calendar lore
BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs
13.98Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads
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