| idiom. |
a proverb or maxim (This term uses saw in the sense of "saying," and old in the sense of "wise" rather than old-fashioned [Second half of 1400s]: Mom's always repeating the old saw, "Haste makes waste."  thefreedictionary.com); a proverb, maxim, or adage (This term comes from a much older meaning for saw, derived from the Old English sagu and meaning just about the same as "saying." The "old" here is not necessarily derogatory, rather signifying "wise." Thomas Cooper in his Thesaurus (1565) defined a proverb as "an olde sayed sawe." thefreedictionary.com); an oft-repeated saying, maxim, or proverb (My dad has a few old saws he never hesitates to share with my kids whenever we come to visit. thefreedictionary.com); a sententious saying, a homily (lexico.com); a traditional proverb or maxim (lexico.com); a homespun aphorism (lexico.com) |
