old saw
idiom

- a cliché, saying, or overused expression; especially a proverb or maxim

- an oft-repeated saying, maxim, or proverb; a clichéd or hackneyed expression

Your Dictionary, Free Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

Old saw has an interesting etymology. The "saw" in old saw comes from the Old English word sagu, meaning "saying, speech, story, or report." This is related to Old Norse saga and Old High German saga - all stemming from the Proto-Germanic sagō ("saying, report").

The "old" was added later (around the 16th century) to emphasize the traditional or long-established nature of these sayings, similar to how we use "old" in phrases like "old wives' tale" or "old chestnut."

The phrase survives today primarily in the expression "old saw," while the word "saw" alone is rarely used to mean "saying" in modern English. It's a good example of how words can become "frozen" in specific phrases while falling out of use in their original standalone meaning.

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TEST YOURSELF

Below are the Top 10 most overused proverbs in English. Can you complete them?

1. "Actions speak louder than ______”

2. “A picture is worth a thousand ______"

3. "Better late than ______"

4. "Don't count your chickens before they ______"

5. "Every cloud has a silver ______"

6. "The grass is always greener on the other ______"

7. "Honesty is the best ______"

8. "Practice makes ______"

9. "Rome wasn't built in a ______"

10. "The early bird catches the ______"
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1. "Actions speak louder than WORDS”

2. “A picture is worth a thousand WORDS"

3. "Better late than NEVER”

4. "Don't count your chickens before they HATCH"

5. "Every cloud has a silver LINING”

6. "The grass is always greener on the other SIDE”

7. "Honesty is the best POLICY”

8. "Practice makes PERFECT”

9. "Rome wasn't built in a DAY”

10. "The early bird catches the WORM”

These proverbs remain popular because of their simplicity and relatability, but their overuse often dulls their impact.

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SYNONYMS

adage, ancient wisdom, aphorism, apothegm, axiom, byword, catchphrase, common saying, dictum, epigram, expression, folk wisdom, gem of wisdom, gnome, gnomic saying, golden rule, homespun wisdom, homily, idiom, maxim, moral, mot, motto, OLD SAW, old saying, paroemia, pearl of wisdom, platitude, rule of thumb, sage advice, saw, saying, sententia, sentiment, slogan, snippet of wisdom, spiritual truth, stock phrase, timeless truth, traditional saying, truism, universal truth, watchword, wisdom nugget, to the wise, words of wisdom, words to live by

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Whenever I hear the OLD SAW ‘The early bird catches the worm’, I always think… ‘but the second mouse gets the cheese’. “

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