The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (525 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs
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STOLEN waters are sweet
With allusion to
PROVERBS
ix. 17 (AV) Stolen waters are sweet. Cf.
c
1395
WYCLIF
Bible
Proverbs ix. 17 Stoln watris ben swettere. See also the preceding entry.
c
1548
Will of Devil
(1863) 9
This saiyng of the retcheles [reckless] woman in Salomon (Stollen waters ar sweete).
1614
Devil's Banquet
I
. 3
Sinne shewes you a faire Picture—Stollen waters are sweet.
1721
Scottish Proverbs
298
Stoln Waters are sweet. People take great Delight in that which they can get privately.
1976
Pour Hemlock
ii.
Lucarelli, fond of quoting scripture, ended the memo with ‘Stolen waters are sweet.’
theft
STONE-dead hath no fellow
Predominantly used by advocates of the death penalty.
Fellow
here means ‘equal’ or ‘counterpart.’
c
1633
Soddered Citizen
(1936) l. 2618
‘Is your ffather dead?’.. 'Laid with both Leggs Sir, in one lynnen bootehose That has noe fellowe, stone dead.
c
1641
Hist. Rebellion
(1702) I.
III
. 191
The Earl of Essex .. answer'd, ‘Stone Dead hath no Fellow.’
1828
Essays
(1843) I. 144
Stonedead hath no fellow.
1926
Times
27 Aug. 11
The execution of the death sentence had been postponed for a week, an unusual period in a country where the adage ‘stone-dead hath no fellow’ wins general support.
1980
Woburn & Russells
v.
Bedford, who was against the death penalty for Stratford, sought to moderate the violent opinions of some of his fellow peers, the Earl of Essex being heard to declare vehemently: ‘stone dead hath no fellow.’
death
;
finality

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