The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (415 page)

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Authors: John Andrew Simpson,

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one

see also
BETTER one house spoiled than two
;
a BIRD never flew on one wing
;
two BOYS are half a boy, and three boys are no boy at all
;
the BUYER has need of hundred eyes, the seller of but one
;
every DOG is allowed one bite
;
don't put all your EGGS in one basket
;
one ENGLISHMAN can beat three Frenchmen
;
one FUNERAL makes many
;
one GOOD turn deserves another
;
one HALF of the world does not know how the other half lives
;
one HAND for oneself and one for the ship
;
one HAND washes the other
;
one HOUR'S sleep before midnight is worth two after
;
one man's LOSS is another man's gain
;
one man's MEAT is another man's poison
;
one PICTURE is worth ten thousand words
;
one man may STEAL a horse, while another may not look over a hedge
;
one STEP at a time
;
from the SUBLIME to the ridiculous is only a step
;
one SWALLOW does not make a summer
;
it TAKES one to know one
;
TWO heads are better than one
;
if TWO ride on a horse, one must ride behind
;
one VOLUNTEER is worth two pressed men
;
one WEDDING brings another
.

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one-eyed

see
in the COUNTRY of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
.

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open

see (adjective)
A DOOR must either be shut or open
; (verb)
A GOLDEN key can open any door
;
when ONE door shuts, another opens
.

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The OPERA isn't over till the fat lady sings

Attempts to determine the identity of the diva concerned have been inconclusive.

1978
Washington Post
13 June B1
The opera isn't over till the fat lady sings …One day three years ago, Ralph Carpenter, who was then Texas Tech's sports information director, declared to the press box contingent in Austin, ‘The rodeo ain't over till the bull riders ride.’ Stirred to top that deep insight, San Antonio sports editor Dan Cook countered with, ‘The opera ain't over till the fat lady sings.’
1980
Record
(OUP) Dec. 8
Do not relax your vigilance in the fight against the punk paperbacks …‘The opera ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.’
1988
Black Star Murders
viii.
As soon as the big blond Brünnhilde finished, it was over. All I could think about was the classic line about the opera never being over until the fat lady sings.
1992
Independent
11 Aug. 7
‘You know, they say that the show's never over until the fat lady sings,’ Mr Bolger said. ‘Well, I think it was her was we heard warming up in the wings this week.’