sayingsay‧ing /ˈseɪ-ɪŋ/ ●●○ noun [countable] 
You can’t judge a book by its cover, as the old saying goes.► see thesaurus at phrase
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- 'You're only as old as you feel' -- that's one of my favourite sayings.
- How many times have we heard the famous saying, 'Physician heal thyself'?
- Like father, like son, as the saying goes -- by the time Tim was eight, he was already a budding entrepreneur.
- The more often you play the flute, the better you'll get. Remember the old saying, practice makes perfect.
- What followed, as the saying goes, shook the world.
- However, like that about poverty, this saying talks about mourning in a spiritual sense.
- If you're looking for a reason, goes one of Balloonland's wisest sayings, then apply your own pin.
- Known for his quirky sayings, Kahn taught his pupils always to ask the building what it wanted to be.
- So one thing, as the saying goes, led to another.
- These sayings have direct reference to the existence of scale and levels of being both in man and in the Cosmos.
- Think about these sayings which predict the weather and any other sayings you can collect from your family and friends.
- To paraphrase an old saying, the water has to be there for the horse to be able to drink.
THESAURUS
a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together, or which someone uses on a particular occasion: · What was the phrase he used to describe her?· I’ve never heard of the phrase before.· The president often used the phrase ‘War on terror’.
a fixed phrase which is used in a language and has a particular meaning: · a colloquial expression (=an informal expression used in everyday spoken language)· The old-fashioned expression ‘in the family way’ means pregnant.· a common English expression· I was absolutely knackered, if you’ll pardon the expression (=used when you think someone might be offended by the words you have used).
a group of words that has a special meaning which you cannot guess from the meanings of each separate word: · ‘Under the weather’ is an idiom which means ‘ill’.
a phrase that is boring and no longer original because people use it a lot: · The phrase ‘at the end of the day’ has become a real cliché.· There is some truth in the old cliché that time is a great healer.
a well-known phrase that gives advice about life: · Do you know the saying ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’?· There is an old Chinese proverb which states ‘A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step’.
a short phrase that is easy to remember, especially one that is used in advertising: · advertising slogans· Protesters were shouting anti-government slogans.
a phrase that expresses a person’s or organization’s beliefs and aims: · The school motto was ‘Truth and Honour’.
Longman Language Activatora phrase or sentence that is well-known or often used a short sentence that contains advice, or says what is usually true in a particular situation. Sayings have usually been used for a long time: · 'You're only as old as you feel' -- that's one of my favourite sayings.old/famous/well-known saying: · The more often you play the flute, the better you'll get. Remember the old saying, practice makes perfect.· How many times have we heard the famous saying, 'Physician heal thyself'?as the saying goes (=according to a saying): · What followed, as the saying goes, shook the world.· Like father, like son, as the saying goes -- by the time Tim was eight, he was already a budding entrepreneur.
a well-known saying that gives advice or says something about human life, especially using words that represent a wider meaning: · Do you remember this old proverb: 'When poverty comes in the door, love flies out of the window'?Chinese/Arabic/French etc proverb: · An Irish proverb is relevant here -- 'You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather is.'cite/quote a proverb: · In reply, he quoted a Sanskrit proverb: 'Forgiveness is the ornament of the brave'.
a word or phrase from one special area of knowledge that people suddenly start using a lot, especially because they think it means something important: · The big Internet buzzword at the moment is 'push technology'.· Customer-friendliness was the buzzword in British business circles.· 'Going snap' on a decision was the latest buzzword in our office.
a phrase that is used so often that it seems boring, annoying, or silly: · It's a cliché, I know, but the game isn't over till the final whistle blows.old/tired cliché: · At the risk of repeating an old cliché, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.become a cliché: · It's become a cliché to say that presidential candidates are being marketed like bars of soap or boxes of cereal.
a phrase that is so clearly true that it has no useful meaning and is therefore annoying, especially because the person using it seems insincere and unsympathetic: · The management tried to satisfy staff with some platitudes about the need to make sacrifices for the benefit of the company.empty platitude (=one that is meaningless): · The marriage counsellor could only offer us a string of empty platitudes.mouth/spout platitudes: · Mr Gringold droned on, mouthing the usual platitudes about motivation and self-reliance.
a sentence or phrase from a book, play, poem etc that is used to explain or show something: · If you do use quotations in your essay, select them carefully.· a dictionary of theatrical quotationsquotation from: · The book begins with a quotation from The Book of Common Prayer.attribute a quotation to somebody (=say that they are the first person to say it): · The quotation is attributed to Chu Hsi, an ancient Chinese philosopher.
a short phrase that is easy to remember, especially one that is used by advertisers, politicians, or entertainers: · Bloomingdale's has as its slogan 'Like no other store in the world'.· Young men risked their lives to daub buildings with anti-government slogans. slogan of: · 'Liberte, egalite, fraternite' was the slogan of the French Revolution.advertising/marketing/campaign slogan: · They've come up with a new advertising slogan for the product.
a short, well-known phrase used regularly by an entertainer or other public figure: · The public soon learned to associate the catchphrase 'Ooh, you are awful' with the inimitable Dick Emery.· His catchphrases like'What a peach of a shot' and 'That's a dream of a pass' are now part of tennis language.
a word or phrase that expresses a person or organization's aims or beliefs: · The school's motto was 'Work hard and play hard'.· "All my life," said Sir Humphrey, "my motto has been 'aim high'."family motto: · The Mortimer family motto is inscribed above the door -- 'Humilitas'.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES It’s the best book he’s written, but that’s not saying much (=none of his books is very good). A military spokesman was quoted as saying that the border area is now safe.
also forgive my asking/saying etc Forgive me for saying so, but that’s nonsense. Forgive my phoning you so late.
Forgive me for saying so, but that’s nonsense. Forgive my phoning you so late. spoken (=used to tell someone that you have listened to their opinion, but do not agree with it) I hear what you say, but I don’t think we should rush this decision.
I hear what you say, but I don’t think we should rush this decision. It’s the best book he’s written, but that’s not saying much (=none of his books is very good). A military spokesman was quoted as saying that the border area is now safe.· I think I’m right in saying they once employed 2000 people.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· It was small but perfectly formed, as Dudley Moore is fond of saying of himself.· As football managers are fond of saying, it's early days yet for battler George.
· Remember that old saying about living to fight another day?· To paraphrase an old saying, the water has to be there for the horse to be able to drink.· There is an old saying that whipping a donkey will do no good if it's running as fast as it can.· It is an old saying that you can not tell a book by its cover.· There is an old saying that there are three kinds of intelligence: human, animal and military.· She was discovering that there was truth in one of showbusiness's most hackneyed old sayings: Fame costs.
NOUN· Your child can have a little sign saying who she is.
· She heard a jolly male voice saying, Something something something means Lots and lots of chocolate beans.· A voice saying peace, sit at peace, sit at peace.
VERB· I felt absolutely stupid saying that.
· That list candidates will be staunch party members goes without saying.· Non-fiction books, too, it goes without saying, are a good source.· Thatcher, it almost goes without saying, is opposed to all this.· It went without saying, of course, that Karen's were impeccable.· It goes without saying - be very careful.· That the hanger showed Innovation goes without saying - enter the Oxford and the Harvard again.· Concentrated, clear meat juice, must, it goes without saying, be added.· It goes without saying, almost, that you need to be generous with the rabbits you kill.
· I could just hear Mr Rhys saying, Run away. little man, back to your comics!· What made it worse was I heard people saying what a very good side Spartak were.· Haven't you ever heard that saying about those who forget history being doomed to repeat it?
· That's what you keep saying.· I had to keep saying it over and over to myself to believe it.· As I keep saying, our visual and verbal behaviour is one of our best bodyguards.· As I keep saying, it's difficult to jump off the merry-go-round once it's in motion.· They keep saying how cheap everything is.
· I remembered your saying it was a boy.· She remembered Victorine saying hardly anyone used it any more.· The other two are twins; aged four, I seem to remember Hugo saying.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► if you don’t mind my saying so/if you don’t mind me asking► I don’t mind admitting/telling you/saying etc► be/go on (the) record as saying (that)
a well-known short statement that expresses an idea most people believe is true and wise SYN proverb: - And it goes without saying that Wild is a Lisztian of the finest order.
- Concentrated, clear meat juice, must, it goes without saying, be added.
- Despite these difficulties, it goes without saying that no book should be ordered unless the price is known.
- Historically it goes without saying that we have used all kinds of nature, and especially animals, for human benefit.
- I think it goes without saying that a rested person is a better person, more able to face life.
- Non-fiction books, too, it goes without saying, are a good source.
- Of course it goes without saying that the aquarium glass must always be perfectly clean for best results.
- Pardon me for asking, but where did you buy your shoes?
- He throws himself without a word on to the blanket beside him.
- Jed began to know where Creed wanted to go without a word being uttered.
- Now this woman of endless stories, a teacher, lies without words, waiting to die.
- She turned without a word and walked back to where her friends lay like casualties.
- Sitting down opposite without a word he picked up the glass and emptied the contents down his throat.
- Still without a word Pearl brought Ezra to the tiny kitchen.
- The place is empty but for the bar and three or four slightly-built lads shooting pool without words.
- Then she turned and without a word left him and the house, too.
You can’t judge a book by its cover, as the old saying goes.► see thesaurus at phrase- discriminating
- discrimination
- discriminatory
- discursive
- discursively
- discus
- discuss
- discussion
- discussion list
- disdain
- disdainful
- disdainfully
- disease
- diseased
- disembark
- disembarkation
- disembodied
- disembowel
- disembowelment
- disenchanted
- disenchantment
- disenfranchise
- disenfranchised
- disenfranchisement
- disengage