A

Aki á-t mond, mondjon bé-t is

He that says a, should also say b

Ha adnak, vedd el, ha ütnek, szaladj el

If something is given to you then take it, if you are beaten,

then run away

Jobb adni, mint kapni

It is better to give than to receive

Kétszer ad, aki gyorsan ad

He gives twice who gives quickly

Amilyen az adjonisten, olyan a fogadjisten

Like greeting, on arrival, like answer

Hátrább az agarakkal

Backwards with the greyhounds

Be more modest

Ki mint veti ágyát, úgy alussza álmát

As one makes his bed, so he sleeps his dream

Ágyúval lő verebekre

He shoots at sparrows with a, high calibre, gun

Ajándék lónak ne nézd a fogát

Do not look at the tooth of a gift horse

Ajtóstul ront be a házba

He rushes into the houses together with the door

He tells, does something to somebody without announcement

Ha kidobják az ajtón, bemegy az ablakon

If he is thrown out through the door, he enters through the

window

Nem amint akarnánk, hanem amint lehet

One should act as he may, not as he would like to

Csak akasztásra való istrángot sem érdemelne

He would not deserve even the rope for hanging

Kinek akasztófa helye, nem hal a Dunába

A bűnöst eléri méltó büntetése

He whose place is on the gallows, will not die in the Danube

Akasztott ember házában kötelet emleget

He names a rope in the house of a man that was hanged

Alkalom szüli a tolvajt

Opportunity bears the thief

Felkavarta az állóvizet

Követ dobott az állóvzbe

He has stirred up, or threw a stone into, still water.

He brought motion in a quiet life

Nem esik messze az alma a fájától

The apple does not fall far from its tree

Nem vagyunk angyalok

We are not angels

Amilyen az anya, olyan a leánya

Like mother, like daughter

Nézd meg az anyját, vedd el a lányát

Have a close look at the mother and then marry her daughter

Ár ellen nehéz úszni

It is difficult to swim against the stream

Aki nem tud arabusul, ne beszéljen arabusul

He who cannot speak Arabic, should not speak Arabic

He who has no knowledge, understanding of something, should

not engage in, or interfere with, it

Az arany a sárban is arany

Gold is gold even in the mud

Hallgatni arany beszélni ezüst

To be silent is golden, to speak is silvern

Nem mind arany, ami fénylik

All is not gold that glitters

Ki korán kel, aranyat lel

He who gets up early finds gold

Nem fog aranyon a rozsda

Rust cannot do any harm to gold

A man of character is resistant to temptation

Aranykulcs minden ajtóba beillik

A golden key fits every door

Nem mindig az arat, aki vet

Not always that reaps who sows

Ez nem az én asztalom

This is not my table

This is not my duty, responsibility concern

A refusal of doing, dealing with something

Három asszony egy lúd, két asszony, egész vásár

Three women, a goose and two women make a whole fair

Jó asszony a háznak koronája

A good wife is the crown of the house

Serény asszonynak rest a lánya, rest asszonynak serény a lánya

A busy women has a lazy daughter, a lazy women has a busy

daughter

Higgy az asszonynépnek, mint az áprilisi időjárásnak

Believe in women as in the weather in April

Könnyű az asztag alatt, mellett kalászt szedni

It is easy to collect ears of corn under, beside a stack

B

Nem játszunk Add vissza a babaruhát

We do not play, Return the dolls clothes

I do not agree to cancel a promise, agreement or to return a

present given by him

Sok bába közt elvész a gyerek

Among many midwives the child is lost

Nem babra megy a játék

The stake of the play is not beans

It is a serious matter

A bagoly is bíró barlangjában

Even an owl is a judge in her cave

Bagoly mondja verébnek, hogy nagyfejű

The owl tells the sparrow that her head is big

A baj nem jár egyedül

Trouble does not come alone

Mindenkinek megvan a maga baja

Everyone his own trouble

Ugyanazon bakot nyúzza

A régi nótát fújja

He is flaying the same bock

Hi sings the same old song

Mindenkit érhet baleset

Accidents may happen to anyone

Elcsúszott egy banánhéjon

He has slipped on a banana-peel

By making a small error his secret, illegal activity came into

the open

Késő bánat ebgondolat

A late repentance is a dogs idea

After death the doctor

Barátot szerencse hoz, szükség próbál

Luck brings friends, need tries them

Mondd meg, ki a barátod megmondom ki vagy

Tell me who your friends is, I'll tell you who you are

Nem mind barátod, aki rád mosolyog

All are not your friends who smile at you

Inába szállt a bátorsága

His courage sank to his sinews

He got frightened

Bátraké a szerencse

Luck belongs to the brave

A béka feneke alatt van

It is below the bottom of a frog

It is of inferior quality

Lenyeli a békát

He swallows the frog

He swallows the bitter pill

Hagyj békét másnak, magadra viselj gondot

Leave others in peace, care for yourself

Jobb a békesség

Peace is better

It is better to refrain from quarrels, contradictions or

raising, forcing an argument

Kapkod, mint Bernát a mennykőhöz

Like Barnard, he tries to catch the heavens stone

He acts in confusion, inconsistently

Nyert benne, mint Bertók a csíkban

Mindent elvesztett

He succeeded like Bertok with the loach

He lost everything

Sok beszédnek sok az alja

In much talk there is much bottom, inferior matter

A betyárból lesz a legjobb pandúr

The former highwayman men are the best gendarmes

Beletört a bicskája

His pocket knife opens in my pocket

He tried but failed in a achieving something

Kinyílik a bicska a zsebemben

Something has caused anger, despair but one was compelled to

stand idly by

Aki brja marja

He who is strongest, ablest can devour it

The strongest, ablest wins

Sorba mégy, mint a falusi bíróság

It is taken by turns like village headmanship

Ki hol bízik, ott hízik

Where one trusts, there he gets fat

Magyarázza a bizonyítványát

He explains away his report

He tries hard to explain or justify his action or behaviour

Szegénységi bizonyítványt állít ki magáról

He issues a certificate of poverty of himself

He proves his incapacity

Bocskorbőr az orcája

Vastag bőr van a képén

There is thick sandal leather on his face

He is bluntly shameless

Mást beszél, mint Bodóné, mikor a bor árát kérik

Like Mrs Bodo he talks about something else when asked to pay

for the wine

Side-stepping an issue

Bolond lyukból bolond szél fúj

Out of a foolish hole a foolish wind blows

A fool can tell only foolish things

Bolond ütközik kétszer egy kőbe

A fool stumbles twice at the same stone

Bolondnak kedvez, jár a szerencse

Fortune favours the fool

Egy bolond beledobja a kútba a követ, száz okos se veszi ki

A fool may throw a stone into a well which a hundred wise

cannot take out

Egy bolond százat csinál

One fool makes a hundred

Bor be, ész ki

Wine in, sense out

Jó bornak nem kell cégér

Good wine needs no signboard, bush

Bámul, mint borjú az új kapura

He stares at the new gate as a calf

He merely looks at something without taking action

Borotvaélen táncol

He dances on a razor-edge

He tries to face danger from two, more sides

Kicsi a bors, de erős

Pepper is small but strong

Borsot tör valakinek az orra alá

He crushes pepper under the nose of somebody

He annoys, irritates somebody

Falra hányt borsó

It is like peas thrown against the wall

A vain effort

Úgy illik össze, mint bot a tegezbe

They match as a stick in a quiver

Minden botnak a végén a feje

Nyugtával dicsérd a napot

The head of each stick is at its end

Praise a fair day at night

Aki bottal köszön, annak doronggal felelnek

He who greets with a stick, will be answered with a club

Bottal üthetik a nyomát

His footprints can be beaten with a stick

He managed to escape

Senki sem tud kibújni a saját bőréből

Nobody can slip out of his own skin

Nobody can abandon easily his customs, ideas

Mindenki a maga bőrét viszi a vásárra

Every one carries his own skin to the market

El van maradva egy brosúrával

He is one pamphlet behind, the others

He still thinks, speaks, acts according to the previous

guidelines

Nem egy nap alatt épült Buda vára

The castle of Buda was not built in one day

Egyszer volt Budán kutyavásár

These was a  dog-market in Buda only once

This favourable opportunity was a one-time occasion only

Felfelé bukott

He stumbled upwards

After failing in a job he was moved to higher position

C

A cél szentesíti az eszközt

The purpose consecrates the means

Minden cigány a maga lovát dicséri

Every gypsy prises his own horse

Nem szokta a cigány a szántást

The gypsy is not accustomed to ploughing

He is compelled to do something, he was previously reluctant

to do

Még ha cigánygyerekek potyognak, esnek is az égből

Even if gypsy children are dropped from the sky

Come hell or high water

Csáky szalmájának tekinti

He considers it as straw of, the landowner Csaky

An expression of negligence instead of due care

Csalánba nem üt a ménkű, mennykő

The sky�s stone does not strike the nettle

Weeds don�t spoil

Add meg a császárnak, ami a császáré, és az Istennek, ami az

Istené

Give the emperor what is the emperors and God what is Gods

Give everyone his due

Elásták a csatabárdot

They have buried the hatchet

Sok csepp követ váj

Many drops hollow the stone

Cserép, zsindely van a háztetőn, házon

Fiatal gyerek van jelen, ill. a falnak is füle van

There is a tile on the roof

Walls have ears

Cseréptálhoz fakanál

To an earthenware dish a wooden spoon

Marry your match

Lehazudná a csillagokat az égről

He would even lie, there is no star in the sky

He is ready to deny even the most obvious truths

Ha nem csinálok semmit, abból nem lehet baj

If we do nothing, without being ordered to do, no trouble will

result from it

A sáros csizmámat sem törölném hozzá

I would not wipe my muddy boots in him

An expression of utter despise

Hogy kerül a csizma az asztalra

How could the boots get on the table

What has that got to do with it

An expression of indignant surprise

Minden csoda három napig tart

Every wonder lasts three days

Ez már lerágott csont

This is already a gnawed bone

A matter already discussed several times

Későn jövőnek csont az ebédje

He who comes late gets bones for lunch

Ha nem csordul, csurran, cseppen

If it does not trickle, it will drop

Even if it is less than expected, still there will be

something

Csöbörből vödörbe

He got out of the bucket and got into the pail

Out of the frying into the fire

Kicsiny csupor hamar felforr

A little pot quickly boils

D

Darázsfészekbe nyúl

He puts his hand into a wasp's nest

Elköltené a Dárius kincsét is

He would spend even the treasures of Darius

Te sem vagy jobb a Deákné vásznánál

Even you are not better than the linen of Deak's wife

You are as bad as the others

Jön még kutyára dér

The hoar-frost is still to come for the dog

Be sure your sins will find you out

Három napig dínom dánom, holtig való szánom bánom

A three day long merry-making and regret lasting till death

A hasty marriage

A dió törve, az asszony verve jó

A nut is good if broken, a women if beaten

Hallgat, mint a süket disznó a búzában

He keeps silent, like a deaf pig in the wheat-field

Éhes disznó makkal álmodik

A hungry pig dreams of acorns

Okos disznó mély gyökeret ránt

A clever pig extracts a deep root

A clever man achieves remarkable feats

Disznóra gyömbért ne vesztegess

Do not waste your ginger on pigs

Nem erőszak a disznótor

Nobody is forced to attend the dinner given after killing a

pig

You are free to refrain from accepting an offer I consider

favourable to, for you

Dobbal nem lehet verebet fogni

Sparrows cannot be caught by beating a drum

Aki dolgozik, az nem ér rá pénzt keresni

He who works has no time to earn money

If a job is hard and little paid, then one cannot earn

additionally in a second job

Aki nem dolgozik, ne is egyék

He that does not work, shall not eat either

Dróton rángat valakit

To pull somebody by a wire

To pull the strings

Két dudás egy csárdában nem fér meg

Two pipers cannot get on in one tavern

Akkor lészen az, mikor a Duna visszafoly vagy elszárad

It will happen when the Danube reverts its course or dries up

Dunát lehetne rekeszteni vele, velük

The Danube could be dammed by them

There are too many of them

E

Nehezen alkuszik meg két eb egy csonton

Two dogs can hardly agree on one bone

Az ebek harmincadjára kerül, jutott

It fell to the thirtieth of dogs

Although it is valuable nobody cares for it any more

Fogas ebnek való a csontrágás

Gnawing on bones is for dogs having teeth

Ha egy ebet bottal hajtanak a nyúl után, nem fogja az meg

If a dog is driven by a stick after a hare, he will not catch

it

Köti az ebet a karóhoz

He ties the dog to the post

He sticks to his position, plan, idea

Ebcsont beforr

A dogs broken bone will soon be healed

The wound inflicted will soon be healed

Ég és föld a különbség köztük

The difference between them is like that between sky and earth

Mint derült égből a villámcsapás

Like a thunderstroke from a clear sky

Az egészség ízét a betegség adja meg

The flavour of health is given by an illness

Szegény az eklézsia, maga harangoz a pap

The congregation is poor, the priest rings the bell himself

Elefánt a porcelánboltban N

An elephant in the china shop

Nem azért élünk, hogy együnk, hanem azért eszünk, hogy éljünk

We do not live to eat, but we eat to live

Ki elbízza magát, könnyen megszégyenül

He who is conceited, will easily be ashamed

Se el ne hidd, bízd magad, se kétségbe ne essél

Elbízza magát

Neither be conceited, nor fall into despair

Akkor, Úgy szép az élet, ha zajlik

Life is beautiful if it is hectic

Az ellenségemnek se kívánom

I do not want it even for my enemy

Aki nincs ellenünk, az velünk van

He who is not against us, that is with us

Ami elmúlt, elmúlt

What�s gone, is gone

Don�t cry, over spilt milk

Ahány ember, annyi vélemény

As many men as many opinions

Az ember nem lehet elég óvatos

One cannot be cautious enough

Ember embernek farkasa

Man is a wolf to man

Ember tervez, Isten végez

Man plans, God decides

Holtig remél az ember

Man hopes until his death

Nem tudja az ember, mire virrad

One does not know what he will find tomorrow

Sok jó ember elfér kis helyen

Many good people can find room in a small space

Híres eperre nem kell kosárral menni, közelebb lakók vagy

szemfülesebbek már leszedték rég

You do not needed a basket to pick well-knows strawberries,

those living nearby or being quicker have already picked them

Nem szed más kosarába epret

He wont pick strawberries into the basket on somebody else

Az erdőnek füle van, a mezőnek szeme van

The forest has an ear, the field has an eye

Ahogy esik, úgy puffan

As it falls so it plumps

As the tree falls, it will lie

Eső után köpönyeg

After rain, comes raincoat

After meat, mustard

Májusi eső aranyat ér

A rain in May is golden

Többet ésszel, mint erővel

One should, could do more by wisdom than by force

Eszi, nem eszi, nem kap mást

He may eat it or not, he wont get anything else

Azt se tudja, eszik-e vagy isszák

He does not even know whether it is eaten or drunk

He has no idea about it

Sok eszkimó, kevés fóka

Many Eskimos and few seals

Nincs olyan hitvány eszköz, hogy hasznát ne lehetne venni

There is no worthless thing which could not be used something

Evés közben jön meg az étvágy

Appetite comes while eating

Ez van, ezt kell szeretni

This is, what we have, experience, this is to be liked

F

Amilyen a fa, olyan a gyümölcse

Like tree, like fruit

Nagy fába vágta a fejszéjét

He cut his axe into a big tree

A hard venture

Fából vaskarika

An iron ring made of wood

An absurdity

Kemény fából faragták

He was carved of hard wood

He is strong, steadfast

Jó fának is van rossz gyümölcse

Even good tree has, sometimes bad fruit

A fát nem vágják ki egy csapásra, vágásra

A tree is not felled at one stroke

Addig hajtsd a fát, míg vessző

Bend the tree while is a twig

Maga alatt vágja a fát

He cuts the tree under himself

Rossz fát tett a tűzre

He has put bad wood on the fire

He has got into mischief

Nem látja a fától az erdőt

He cannot see the wood for the trees

Nem nőnek a fák az égig

The trees do not grow up to the sky

A fakónak muszáj húzni, mert a fakót is húzzák

Akitől az elöljárói megkövetelnek valamit, az is kénytelen

követelni a beosztottaitól

The horse has to pull as the horse is also pulled

He who gets orders from his superiors, has to pass them on to

his subordinates

A falnak is füle van

Even the wall has an ear

A farkas a szőrét elhányja, de a szokását nem

Farkast emlegetnek, a kert alatt kullog, jár

When a wolf is mentioned, he is already walking round the

garden

Nem eszi meg a farkas, kutya a telet

The wolf, dog does not eat the winter

A farok csóválja a kutyát

The tail wags the dog

The normal order is reversed

Those give orders who are expected to obey

Az új fazék megtartja első szagát

A new pot retains its first scent

The cask savours of the first fill

Minden ember az ő maga fazeka mellé szít

Minden szentnek maga felé hajlik a keze

Every man kindles the fire below his own pot

Egy fecske nem csinál nyarat

One swallow does not make a summer

Akinek nincs a fejében, legyen a lábában

He who has not, enough wit in the head, should have, force, to

replace it, in the leg

Fején találja a szöget

He hits the nail on the head

Összecsapnak a feje fölött a hullámok

The waves dash over his head

He is unable to cope with the situation any longer

Lehajtott fejet nem éri a kard

A bent head is not touched by the sword

Nem jó fejjel menni, rohanni a falnak

There is no point in running ones head against the wall

Veszett fejsze nyele

The helve of the lost hatchet

A little gain in a great loss

Jobb félni, mint megijedni

It is better to fear, something than to get frightened

Jobb félútról visszatérni, mint rossz útra térni

Better to return from half-way than to take a wrong road

Hadd hulljon a férgese

Let the wormy of it drop off

Let those perish, leave who are not up to the standard

Jobb a sűrű fillér, mint a ritka forint

It is better to get fillers often than forints seldom

Amíg nekünk csak fizetgetnek, addig mi is csak dolgozgatunk

Until we are only poorly paid, we shall also poorly work

Akinek a foga fáj, tartsa a nyelvét rajta

Segíts magadon

He who  has a toothache, should keep, hold his tongue on it

Help yourself

Feni a fogát valamire

He whets his teeth on something

He is very eager to get something

Kimutatja a foga fehérjét

He shows the whiteness of his teeth

He shows himself in his true colours

Fogjuk meg és vigyétek

Let us take it, into our hands and then you carry it

Somebody is urging others to work without wishing to take part

in it

Ott szakad a fonal, madzag, kötél, ahol a legvékonyabb

The thread, string, rope breaks where it is thinnest

Elment Földvárra deszkát árulni

Meghalt

He left for Foldvar to sell boards

He died

Amit főztél, edd is meg

What you have cooked, you should eat as well

You have to take the responsibility for your action

Szégyen a futás, de hasznos

Running is away is a shame, but it is useful

Egyik fülén be, a másikon ki

In at one ear and out at the other

Se füle, se farka

It has neither an ear, nor a tail

It has neither rhyme nor reason

It makes no sense

Ahol füst van, ott tűz is van

Where there is smoke, there is fire

Füstbe ment

It went into smoke

Nothing was realized achieved

Nagyobb a füstje, mint a lángja

Its smoke is bigger than the flame

It is not so serious

G

Senkinek sem repül szájába a sült galamb

A roast pigeon will not fly into one's mouth

Ahol sok a