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Proverbs Beginning with [O]

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? [Why must you be named Romeo--and thus be the son of my father's enemy?]

Of two evils choose the lesser.

Off with his (her) head! [Get rid of the offender immediately! Literally, chop off his or her head.]

Offense is the best defense.

Oil and water don't mix.

Old habits die hard

Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. [Old soldiers never die, / Never die, / Never die, / Old soldiers never die, / They simply fade away.---J. Foley, "Old Soldiers Never Die"]

On a wing and a prayer. [Under the most tenuous and hazardous circumstances. The metaphor comes from the image of a damaged airplane trying to land.]

On the shoulders of giants.

On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia.

Once a thief, always a thief. [People never change.]

Once bitten, twice shy

Once burned, twice shy. [One who had an unpleasant experience is especially cautious.]

Once more unto the breach, dear friends. [This famous exhortation to the troops in Shakespeare's Henry V  also suggests that the battle will be cruel and bloody. Hence, it usually refers to arduous and unpleasant undertakings.]

One can't be in two places at once.

One day at a time. [Do it gradually. Concentrate on short-term goals.--Motto of Alcoholics Anonymous]

One for all and all for one.

One good turn deserves another. [Said when repaying a favor.]

One half of the world knows not how the other half lives.

One hand washes the other. [Favors must be reciprocated. If you expect me to help you, you must first help me. The allusion is to the interdependence of the hands in the act o washing: neither can be cleaned without the aid of the other.]

One is innocent until proven guilty.

One law for the rich and another for the poor.

One lie leads to another.

One man's gravy is another man's poison.

One man's loss is another man's gain

One man's meat is another man's poison

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. [A saying]

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

One might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb.

One more such victory and we are lost

One must crawl before he walks.

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [Part of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States.]

One picture is worth a thousand words. [Visual images have a greater impact than words.]

One picture is worth ten thousand words.

One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel

One step at a time

One swallow does not make a summer

One thing at a time

Only Nixon can go to China.

Only the good die young

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

The opera ain't over till the fat lady sings. [The outcome of any contest isn't known until the final results are in. Thus, don't make premature judgments or give up too soon.]

The operation was successful--but the patient died. [A saying]

Opportunity knocks but once

Opportunity never knocks twice.

Opportunity never knocks twice at any man's door [Opportunity seldom knocks twice]

Opposites attract.

An ostrich with its head in the sand.

Other times, other manners

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Our country, right or wrong.

Out of debt, out of danger

Out of many, one.

Out of sight, out of mind

Out of the frying pan into the fire

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings come great truths. [Children often speak more clearly, wisely, truly, and directly than  their elders.]

Over my dead body. [I'll do all I can to prevent it.]

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