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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: The following list comes from the book, "Select Proverbs, Italian, Spanish, French, English Scottish, British, etc. chiefly moral, the foreign languages done into English," edited by John Mapletoft (London: J.H. for P. Monckton, 1707).
     
      E. There are a great many asses without long ears.
      I. Si trouvano asini assai fenza orecchie grandi.
     
      E. From an ass you can get nothing but kicks and stench..
      I. Dal asino non hai che calci e petti.
     
      E. Three things only are well done in haste, flying from the plague, escaping quarrels, and catching fleas.
      I. Mai si fa cosa ben in fretta, che il fuggir la peste, e rumori, e pigliar pulci.
     
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: The following list was taken from the book, "The Antiquity of Proverbs
      Fifty Familiar Proverbs and Folk Sayings with Annotations and Lists of Connected forms, Found in All Parts of the World" by Dwight Edwards Marvin (New York: Putnam's Sons, 1922).
     
     
      A bird in the cage is worth a hundred at large. (Italian).
     
      Better be a bird in the wood than one (or ten) in the cage.
      (Italian).
     
      A beaten dog is afraid of the stick's shadow. (Italian).
     
      A scalded dog thinks cold water hot. (Italian).
     
      Glow worms are not lanterns. (Italian).
     
      Don't cry "Dried Fish " before they are caught. (Italian).
     
      Don't reckon your eggs before they are laid. (Italian).
     
      To sell the bird in the bush. (Italian).
     
      Every bird thinks its own nest beautiful. (Italian).
     
      Great cry and little wool, as the man said when he sheared
      the sow. (Italian).
     
      A lean horse does not kick. (Italian).
     
      It is a bad horse that does not earn his fodder. (Italian).
     
      Do not trouble about the color of a gift horse. (Italian).
     
      A good horse has no need of the spur. (Italian).
     
      The horse that draws always gets the whip. (German,
      French, Italian).
     
      Everyone to his own calling and the ox to the plow.
      (Italian).
     
      It is foolish to show glow worms by candle light. (Italian).
     
      When the cat is not in the house the rats (or mice) dance.
      (Italian).
     
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: The following list of Italian proverbs was taken from "A BOOK OF QUOTATIONS PROVERBS AND HOUSEHOLD WORDS, a Collection of Quotations from British and American Authors, Ancient and Modem; with many Thousands of Proverbs, Familiar Phrases and Sayings, from all sources, including Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and other Languages" by W. GURNEY BENHAM (PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY & London: CASSELL & Company, 1907).
     
     
     
      Ital. E meglio es.ser capo di lucertola che coda di
      Dracone.
      Eng. Better to be the head of a lizard than the tail of a dragon.
     
      Ital. E meglio perder la sella cho il cavallo.?
      Eng. Better lose the saddle than the horse.
     
     
      Ital. Buon cavallo non ha bisogno de' sproni.?
      Eng. A good horse has no need of the spur.
     
     
      Ital. Chi ha un sol porco, facilmente I'ingrassa.
      Eng. He that has only one pig, fattens it easily.
     
     
      Ital. Chi con cane donne con pulce ai leya.
      Eng. He that lies with dogs rises with fleas.
     
      Ital. Chi vive ti a lupi, impara a urlare.
      Eng. He that lives with wolves will learn to howl.
     
     
      Ital. L'asino die ha fame mangia d'ogni stramo.
      Eng. The hungry ass will eat any sort of straw.
     
     
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

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Italy
Date: n.d.
Notes: This entry contains Italian proverbs and Italian sayings about animals such as cats, dogs, donkeys and horses. The proverbs were originally published in Italian in the book, "L'Igiene Della Tavola, dalla bocca del popolo ossia Proverbi che hanno riguardo all'alimentazione Raccolti in varie parti d'Italian ed ordinate par Domenico Giuseppe Bernoni (Venezia: Di Giuseppe Ceccini ec., 1872). The translations were done by Mary Melfi with help from Google's free translation service, www.translate.google.com. For Giuseppe Bernoni's "Ligiene Della Tavola" visit www.archive.org.
     
     
      E. The donkey is made for the saddle.
      I. L' asiùo è fatto per portare il basto.
     
      E. In August all birds are warblers.
      I. D'agosto tutti gli uccelli sono beccafichi.
     
      E. Warblers, many or none.
      I. Dei beccafichi, o tanti o niente.
     
      E. Warblers become consumptive villains.
      I. I beccafichi fanno diventar tisici i villani.
     
      E. Oxen for the hosts, priests and friars.
      I. Buoi e castrati, carne da osti, da preti e da frati.
     
      E. Who buys ox, has ox; who hauls wood, meat does not have.
      I. Chi compera bue, bue ha; logora le legna, e carne non ha. (È nella bocca di quelle donne cui rincrescono le incumbenze di cucina.)
     
      E. Eat like a donkey, drink like an ox.
      I. Mangiare da asino, bere da bue.
     
      E. One eye to the pot, the other to the cat.
      I. Un occhio alla pentola ed un altro alla gatta.
     
      E. Who kills a pig eats for a year,
      Who kills an ox eats for a week.
      I. Chi uccide un porco mangia un anno,
      Chi uccide un bove mangia una settimana.
     
      E. A hen without teeth will make the dead come to life.
      I. Gallina senza denti di morti fa viventi.
     
      E. If the villain knew the taste of chicken, he wouldn't leave a single one in the pen.
      I.Se il villano sapesse il sapore della gallina in gennaja, non ne lascierebbe nessuna nel pollajo.
     
      E. Who eats hares laughs for seven days.
      I. Chi mangia lepre ride sette giorni.
     
      E. Pig for a month, geese for three, eating like a king.
      I. Porco d'un mese, oca di tre, mangiar da re.
     
      E. Three thigns are bad skinny, geese, women and goats.
      I. Tre cose sono cattive magre : oche, femmine e capre.
     
     
      E. Women and geese, have only a few.
      I. Donne e oche, tienne poche.
     
      I. Raise a pig even if it is gross and ugly.
      E. Coltiva il porco benché lordo e brutto.
      Che salsiccia ti dà, lardo e prosciutto.
     
      E. Two things that will make you feel young after death: work and a fatty pig.
      I. Due cose soltanto giovano dopo morte: l'avaro e il porco grasso.
     
      E. First pork, then tuna.
      I. Prima porco, poi tonno.
     
      I. If pigs flew, one wouldn't know when the birds came by.
      E. Se il porco volasse, non ci sarebbe uccel che lo passasse.
     
      E. Who says veal, says life.
      I. Chi disse vitella, disse vita.
     
      E. November and December, veal is always good.
      I. Novembre e dicembre, buon vitel sempre.
     
      E. Who has veal on the table doesn't eat onion.
      I. Chi ha vitella in tavola non mangia cipolla.
     
      E. Four things the fish need to be: fresh, fried, firm and cold.
      I. Quattro cose vuole il pesce : fresco, fritto, fermo e freddo.
     
      E. No matter how many fish there are in the sea you can't make a candle out of them.
      I. Quanto pesce è in mare non farebbe una candela di sego.
     
      E. Cod is the dish of the poorest of the poor.
      I. Il baccalà è cibo da poveretti assà. [assai]
     
      E. Women, dogs and cod,
      They're not good unless they are beaten.
      I. Donne, cani e baccalà,
      Non son buoni se non son ben pesta, [battuti)
     
      E. The one who catches mullet is not the one who eats it.
      I. La triglia non la mangia chi la piglia.
     
      E. What the cat won't eat, I won't eat either.
      I. Quello cbe gatto non mangia, io non mangio.
     
      E. Water and bread, the life of a dog.
      I. Acqua e pane, vita da cane.
     
Contributed by: English translations, Mary Melfi; Italian text, courtesy of www.archive.org

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: The following list of Italian proverbs was taken from the book, "Proverbi Spiegati al Popolo" edited by Fanny Ghedini Bortolotti (Milan: Treves, 1869).
     
      9. E. The virtue and patience of donkeys.
      I. La pazienza e la virtu degli asini.
     
      120. E. Yoke the horses, whistle to the dogs and stick it to the villains.
      I. Sprone ai cavalli, fischio ai cani e bastone
      ai villani.
     
      123. E. Every bird loves his own nest.
      I. Ogni uccello ama il suo nido.
     
      153. E. Flies don't enter a mouth that is closed (Better to say nothing).
      I. In bocca chiusa non entran mosche.
     
      176. E. Those who don't love animals, don't love people.
      I. Chi non ama le bestie, non ama i cristiani.
     
      177. E. Those who mistreat animals, has never done any good.
      I. Chi maltratta le bestie, ncn la fa mai bene.
     
      178. E. Even the animals God has made.
      I. Anche le bestie le ha fatte il Signore.
     
     
     
     
Contributed by: English translations, Mary Melfi; Italian text, courtesy of www.archive.org

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Italy
Date: n.d.
Notes: This entry contains Italian proverbs and Italian sayings about animals such as cats, dogs, horses and donkeys. The proverbs were originally published in Italian in the book, "Proverbi e Modi Proverbiali Italiani raccoliti da Giulio Franceschi" (Milano: Ulrico Hoepli, 1908). The translations were done by Mary Melfi with help from "www.translate.google.com." Giulio Franceschi's book is available for free at www.archive.org.
     
     
      ENGLISH: Wolves don't give birth to lambs.
      ITALIAN: Dal lupo non provengono agnelli.
     
      ENGLISH: From sea salt, get good fish.
      ITALIAN: Dal mar salato nasce pesce buono.
     
      E. An old ox puts his foot harder in the ground (The old are less flexible in their resolutions).
      I. Bue vecchio stampa piti forte il piede in terra. (I vecclii sono più fermi noue risoluzioni).
     
     
      E. The older a bird is the more relunctant he is to leave the nest (The old don't want to die.).
      I. Quanto più l'uccello è vecchio, tanto più malvolentieri lascia le penne.
     
     
      E. The ox eats hay because it remembers that it was gras (This is said of an old man who wants to do as the young do.).
      I. Il bue mangia il fieno perchè si ricorda che è
      stato erba. (Dìcesi di ohi da vecchio vuol far quello ohe fece da
      giovane.)
     
     
      E. The serpant is dead, the poison ends.
      I. Morta la serpe, spento il veleno.
     
     
      E. The bees died, no more honey.
      I. Morta l'ape non si ha più miele.
     
      E. True friends are like white flies [rare].
      I. I veri amici son come le mosche bianche.
     
      E. Even the lion needed the mouse.
      53. Anche il leone ebbe bisogno del topo.
     
      E. Who hangs around with wolves learns to howl.
      I. Chi sta col lupo impara a urlare.
     
      E. Once the dog ran and the hare.
      I. Una volta corre il cane e una la lepre.
     
      E. Who wants to have healthy limbs -- pisses often like a dog.
      I. Chi vuol aver le membra sane - pisci spesso
      come il cane.
     
      E. Dogs and villains always leave the door open.
      I. Cani e villani lascian sempre l'uscio aperto.
     
      E. From the calf you know the ox.
      I. Dal vitello si conosce il bue.
     
      E. Who laughs too much has the nature of a crazy person, and one who doesn't laugh has the nature of a cat.
      I. Chi troppo ride ha natura di matto e chi non
      ride è razza di gatto.
     
      E. It is better to give the wool of the sheep, than the sheep itself.
      I. È meglio dar la lana che la pecora.
     
     
     
     
      E. Water and bread -- the life of a dog.
      I. Acqua e pane - vita da cane.
     
     
      E. A hungry wolf will eat moldy bread.
      I. Lupo affamato mangia pan muffato.
     
      E. If all the birds ate the grain there would not be any bread.
      I. Se tutti gli uccelli conoscessero il grano, non si mangerebbe pane.
     
      E. When a cat is on the fire it makes even the cook lose weight.
      I. Quando il gatto sta sul fuoco - la fa magra pure il cuoco.
     
      E. Don't let the donkey drink when he is not thirsty.
      I. Non far ber l'asino quando non ha sete.
     
      E. Hunger drives the wolf out of the forest.
      I. La fame fa uscire il lupo dal bosco.
     
      E. A goat never dies of hunger (because he'll eat anything).
      I. La capra non muore mai di fame.
      (Perchè mangia d' ogni cosa).
     
     
     
     
Contributed by: English translations, Mary Melfi; Italian text, courtesy of www.archive.org

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Around the World
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: For proverbs or folk sayings on Animals, including Cats, Dogs, Horses, Donkeys, Chickens, Foxes etc. from English, Spanish, French and German speaking countries see: "Folk Sayings on Animals/AROUND THE WORLD."
     
     
Contributed by: Image of Christopher Columbus courtesty of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1216726

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