Joined: 15 Sep 2008 Age: 73 Gender: Male Posts: 14,534
18 May 2025, 10:35 am
"The original form of the proverb was many a little (or pickle) makes a mickle, mickle meaning “a great amount”. However, it became corrupted to many a mickle makes a muckle, leading to mickle being thought to mean “a small quantity” and muckle to mean “a large quantity”, even though muckle is a variant of mickle and both mean “a large quantity”.[1] The vowel change suggests the influence of ablaut reduplication." https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/many_a_m ... s_a_muckle
Ablaut reduplication, eh? Whoever would have thought it?
I remember Mr.Hudson from Upstairs Downstairs quoting that in his ads for Morrisons. He reckoned it meant "look after the pence and the pounds will look after themselves."
He also said "maks" instead of "makes" but I think that was just so it would sound more Scottish, to play into the national stereotype of being - er - thrifty, like Yorkshire people.
Joined: 15 Sep 2008 Age: 73 Gender: Male Posts: 14,534
22 May 2025, 7:22 pm
a rock wrote:
Sometimes the best way to help is to get out of the way.
I wish the porter who tried to help when I was packing the car today had lived by that proverb. It brings to mind this proverb, which has proved its value to me many times: If you want a job doing right, do it yourself.
I suspect it's even more valid for us than it is for NTs.