a chain is only as strong as its weakest link »
An organization (especially a process or a business) is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person. A group of associates is only as strong as its laziest member.
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a closed mouth gathers no feet »
One who does not speak can be certain he won't say anything embarrassing.
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a cut below »
Inferior to; of a lower quality than.
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a day late and a dollar short »
Action that was taken too late and too feeble to be of any use.
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a good beginning makes a good ending »
Good beginnings promise a good end; start off on a good note to reap the benefits at the end.
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a good voice to beg bacon »
Said in ridicule of a bad voice.
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a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step »
even the longest and most difficult ventures have a starting point
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a leopard cannot change its spots »
One cannot change one's own nature.1597, William Shakespeare, Richard II Act i, Scene 1 (First Folio):King. Lyons make Leopards tame.Mowbray. Yea but not change his ?pots.1611, King James Version of the Bible, Jeremiah 13:23:Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe Chapter 32:End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment:The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.
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a little bird told me »
Of information which was gathered from a source not to be overtly exposed.
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a nod is as good as a wink »
The hint, suggestion etc can be understood without further explaining.
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a number of »
Several of.
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a penny saved is a penny earned »
A maxim for thrift that says that money not spent may be spent later, or may earn interest in the meantime
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a picture paints a thousand words »
A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description.1971, David Gates (of Bread), If, from Manna album:If a picture paints a thousand wordsThen why can't I paint you;The words will never showThe you I've come to know.1989, Alan Kay, quoted in K?o-tung Huang, Timothy D. Huang, Introduction to Chinese, Japanese and Korean Computing, World Scientific, ISBN 9971506645, p. 9:Most human beings, no matter how familiar they are with abstract symbols, respond to voice and images better than written language. In other words, A picture paints a thousand words.2006, Paul Shakespeare, Building a Dune Buggy: The Essential Manual, ISBN 1904788734, p. 52:See accompanying diagram: a picture paints a thousand words, and all that!
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a pull of the hair for being unfair »
The general response to "A kick and a flick for being so quick", which is in turn a response in itself to "A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month".
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a rising tide lifts all boats »
Benefits provided to a few may lead to conditions that are beneficial to all.
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