The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (6 page)

see
he who RIDES a tiger is afraid to dismount
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Cf. a
1250
Ancrene Riwle
(1962) 191 Iblescet ibeo thu laverd the makest stille efter storm [blessed are you, Lord, who makes a calm after the storm];
1377
LANGLAND
Piers Plowman
B. XVIII. 409 After sharpe shoures .. moste shene [bright] is the sonne.
1576
French Littleton
E1
^V
After a storme commeth a calme.
1655
Church Hist. Britain
ix. viii.
After a storm comes a calm. Wearied with a former blustering they began now to repose themselves in a sad silence.
1851
Moby Dick
III. xxviii.
The mingled, mingling threads of life are woven by warp and woof—calms crossed by storms, a storm for every calm.
1979
‘’
Smiley's People
i.
For the next two weeks nothing happened … After the storm had come the calm.
peace
;
trouble

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

The sense turns on the fact that dinner is a heavy meal, while supper is a light one. The precept was current in medieval Latin:
post prandium stabis, post coenam ambulabis
, after luncheon you will stand still, after supper you will walk about.
1582
Heptameron of Civil Discourses
E3
After dynner, talke a while, After supper, walke a mile.
1584
Haven of Health
ccxi.
That olde English saying: After dinner sit a whyle, and after supper walke a myle.
1876
Cripps
III. xvi.
He neighed .. for he felt quite inclined for a little exercise … ‘After supper, trot a mile.’
1979
Daily Telegraph
24 Dec. 3
‘The physiological reaction to a heavy indigestible meal .. seems to be to sleep it off.’ What it all seems to boil down to is the old adage: After dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile.
health

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

see also
it is easy to be WISE after the event
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search