Expansion of idea Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar.The following page provides best proverbs for students and these are the proverbs with explanation in pdf. Read proverbs for kids. English language study requires proverbs in English for students with meanings so we areproviding a list of proverbs for children. These proverbs quotes shall prove to be very useful and you may think it to be book of proverbs. Read these thoughts and their meanings. Best part is proverb expansion which can be said thoughts with their meanings. Read these famous proverbs in English and make them proverbs for life. These proverb examples are going to suit every age group because these include inspirational proverbs which everyone requires. Let’s dive into thought for the day with short explanation-
Proverb 19
Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar –
Do not economize on things which do not cost a lot or do not involve much effort, when doing so might put at risk the success of a project:
Use of the Proverb Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar in sentences-
- Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar; you have spent a great deal of money on rebuilding and renovating the house and it will ruin the effect if you put down such a cheap carpet.
- You really should by to buy some new shoes to go with your smart new dress and hat; don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar.
- You’ve obviously spent a great deal of time getting the house ready and preparing the food and drink for tonight’s party, but it would be nice to have some fresh flowers; don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar.
Proverb Similar to Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar in meaning is-
If a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.
Additional Help Regarding Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar
The phrase spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar is also commonly used and is sometimes shortened to spoil the ship:
- I don’t know why Dick decided to build those cheap bookcases in that lovely house; he’s certainly spoilt the ship.
Did You know?
The proverb does not, as you would suppose, have a nautical origin, but an agricultural one. The word ‘sheep’ is pronounced ‘ship’ in some English dialects and tar was applied on sores and wounds on sheep to prevent flies from landing on them and causing further infection. The idea behind the proverb, which originally had the word ‘lose’ instead of ‘spoil’, is that the application of a little tar, which would cost very little time or money, would save the sheep’s life. In time, the word ‘sheep’ came to be spelt ‘ship’ and the proverb was assumed to have a nautical origin, since tar was also used to preserve and repair the surface of ships.