1. A common or old familiar proverb or saying: "A stitch in time saves nine" is one saw which means: A little effort done sooner to fix a small problem prevents it from becoming a bigger one requiring more effort to fix later.

Frank's grandfather often recited the old saw about "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" is another saw which means "look before you leap" because when a person does not plan ahead and think matters through, he or she could become involved in risky or unfavorable situations which a wise person avoids.

Here are the words to a famous song by Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley about this saw:

2. Etymology: from Middle English sawe and Old English sagu, "speech, talk." © ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

Here is a list of saws which the speaker in the cartoon might have used:

• Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
• Actions speak louder than words.
• A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
• A picture is worth a thousand words.
• Beggars can’t be choosers.
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
• Better late than never.
• Birds of a feather flock together.
• Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
• Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
• Don’t judge a book by its cover.
• Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
• Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
• Easy come, easy go.
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
• If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
• If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
• If you play with fire, you’ll get burned.
• If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
• No man is an island.
• People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
• Practice makes perfect.
• The early bird gets the worm.
• The grass is always greener on the other side.
• There is no place like home.
• There is no time like the present.
• Two heads are better than one.
• Two wrongs don’t make a right.
• When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
• You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it.