Proverbs are the wisdom of the people. Why are proverbs needed? Interesting things on the web

II. Goals and objectives.

Today, guys, we will talk about friendship and camaraderie. Let's try
answer the questions:

1. What is real friendship?

2. How is it checked?

3. Who does a person have the right to call his friend?

4. What actions and actions contribute to strengthening camaraderie and friendly relations in the team? (problem)

At all times, among all peoples, friendship, loyalty,
devotion.

In the 12th century, Shota Rustaveli wrote: “whoever does not seek friendship with loved ones is his own sworn enemy.” People see strength in friendly work, in common recreation, in mutual assistance.

Game: Let's try to remember proverbs about friendship. I'll start, and you continue.

· One for all and all for one).

· Alone in the field... (not a warrior).

· old friend, better... (new two).

· You will not get to know your friend without trouble).

· If you don’t have a friend, look for him, but you found him... (take care).

People have composed many proverbs about friendship. Let's listen to an explanation of their meaning.

1. A cowardly friend is more dangerous than an enemy (you fear an enemy, but rely on a friend, in Hard time a cowardly friend may get scared and let you down).

2. A good horse will find many owners, and a good man will find many friends (many people want to buy a good horse, but a good man many people want to make friends).

3. An unfaithful friend is like a fur coat with holes (it’s cold in a fur coat with holes, but an unfaithful friend will let you down in difficult times).

4. Not the friend who indulges, but the one who helps (when a person indulges you in everything, he doesn’t care what you really are, the best friend is the one who will help you improve and become better).

5. He who does not look for friends is his own enemy (it’s hard for a person in life without reliable friends, so you need to look for friends and be a reliable friend yourself).

6. What a friend scolds for, an enemy will praise for (your enemy sees well that it is actually bad for you to commit any unworthy actions, therefore he will hypocritically praise you for them, and a true friend will tell the truth, even if it is unpleasant).

7. And many friends are few, and few enemies are many, (many friends are always good, but there are never too many good, an enemy is always evil, and even a little evil is always bad).

8. A tree is strong with its roots, and a person is with friends (the deeper and stronger the roots of a tree, the better it can withstand bad weather; the stronger human friendship, the easier a person can bear the blows of fate).

9. Friendship is like glass, if you break it you won’t be able to put it back together, ( broken glass You can’t put it in the window anymore; if you offend a friend, you can lose him forever).

10. Friendship is different from friendship - no matter what, (when friends only quarrel and do not know how to be friends or have a bad influence on each other, then such friendship only brings harm).

11. Friendship is strong not through flattery, but through truth and honor (you must remember that a true friend can point out your shortcomings and unworthy actions; it is precisely this kind of friendship that should be treasured).

12. Mountains and stones are destroyed by the wind, and human friendship is destroyed by words (hurtful and unpleasant words can destroy friendship, so you need to be careful when criticizing your friend, talk delicately and inoffensively about your friends’ shortcomings).

13. If you want friendship, be a friend (when you yourself learn to be friends, then friends will appear, each person appreciates in another good qualities friend).

All tryn-grass
The mysterious "tryn-grass" is not at all some kind of herbal medicine that people drink so as not to worry. At first it was called “tyn-grass”, and tyn is a fence. The result was “fence grass,” that is, a weed that no one needed, everyone was indifferent to.

Goal like a falcon
Terribly poor, beggar. Usually they think that we're talking about about the falcon bird. But she has nothing to do with it. In fact, the "falcon" is an ancient military battering gun. It was a completely smooth (“bare”) cast iron block attached to chains. Nothing extra!

Orphan Kazan
This is what they say about a person who pretends to be unhappy, offended, helpless in order to pity someone. But why is the orphan “Kazan”? It turns out that this phraseological unit arose after the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. The Mirzas (Tatar princes), finding themselves subjects of the Russian Tsar, tried to beg all sorts of concessions from him, complaining about their orphanhood and bitter fate.

Unlucky man
In the old days in Rus', “path” was the name not only for the road, but also for various positions at the prince’s court. The falconer's path is in charge of princely hunting, the hunter's path is in charge of hound hunting, the stablemaster's path is in charge of carriages and horses. The boyars tried by hook or by crook to get a position from the prince. And those who did not succeed were spoken of with disdain: a good-for-nothing person.

Inside out
Now this seems to be a completely harmless expression. And once it was associated with shameful punishment. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, a guilty boyar was placed backwards on a horse with his clothes turned inside out and, in this disgraced form, was driven around the city to the whistling and jeers of the street crowd.

Lead by the nose
Deceive by promising and not fulfilling what was promised. This expression was associated with fairground entertainment. Gypsies led bears by a ring threaded through their noses. And they forced them, the poor fellows, to do various tricks, deceiving them with the promise of a handout.

Scapegoat
This is the name given to a person who is blamed for someone else. The history of this expression is as follows: the ancient Jews had a rite of absolution. The priest laid both hands on the head of the living goat, thereby, as it were, transferring the sins of the entire people onto it. After this, the goat was driven out into the desert. Many, many years have passed, and the ritual no longer exists, but the expression still lives on.

Sharpen the laces
Lyasy (balusters) are turned, figured posts of railings at the porch. Only a real master. Probably, at first, “sharpening balusters” meant conducting an elegant, fancy, ornate (like balusters) conversation. But in our time, the number of people skilled in conducting such a conversation became fewer and fewer. So this expression came to mean empty chatter.

Grated kalach
In the old days there really was such a type of bread - “grated kalach”. The dough for it was crumpled, kneaded, and “grated” for a very long time, which is why the kalach turned out to be unusually fluffy. And there was also a proverb - “do not grate, do not crush, there will be no kalach.” That is, trials and tribulations teach a person. The expression comes from this proverb.

Nick down
If you think about it, the meaning of this expression seems cruel - you must admit, it’s not very pleasant to imagine an ax next to your own nose. In reality, everything is not so sad. In this expression, the word “nose” has nothing to do with the organ of smell. A “nose” was the name given to a memorial plaque or record tag. In the distant past, illiterate people always carried such tablets and sticks with them, with the help of which they made all kinds of notes or notches for memory.

Break a leg
This expression arose among hunters and was based on the superstitious idea that with a direct wish (both down and feather), the results of a hunt can be jinxed. In the language of hunters, feather means bird, and down means animals. In ancient times, a hunter going on a hunt received this parting word, the “translation” of which looks something like this: “Let your arrows fly past the target, let the snares and traps you set remain empty, just like the trapping pit!” To which the earner, in order not to jinx it either, replied: “To hell!” And both were confident that the evil spirits, invisibly present during this dialogue, would be satisfied and leave behind, and would not plot intrigues during the hunt.

Beat your head
What are “baklushi”, who “beats” them and when? For a long time, artisans have been making spoons, cups and other utensils from wood. To carve a spoon, it was necessary to chop off a block of wood from a log. Apprentices were entrusted with preparing the bucks: it was an easy, trivial task that did not require any special skill. Preparing such chocks was called “beating the lumps.” From here, from the mockery of the masters at the auxiliary workers - “baklushechnik”, our saying came from.?

All tryn-grass

The mysterious "tryn-grass" is not at all some kind of herbal medicine that people drink so as not to worry. At first it was called "tyn-grass", and tyn is a fence. The result was “fence grass,” that is, a weed that no one needed, everyone was indifferent to.

Add the first number

Believe it or not, in the old school students were flogged every week, no matter who was right or wrong. And if the “mentor” overdoes it, then such a spanking would last for a long time, until the first day of the next month.

Goal like a falcon

Terribly poor, beggar. They usually think that we are talking about a falcon bird. But she has nothing to do with it. In fact, the "falcon" is an ancient military battering gun. It was a completely smooth (“bare”) cast iron block attached to chains. Nothing extra!

Orphan Kazan

This is what they say about a person who pretends to be unhappy, offended, helpless in order to pity someone. But why is the orphan “Kazan”? It turns out that this phraseological unit arose after the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. The Mirzas (Tatar princes), finding themselves subjects of the Russian Tsar, tried to beg all sorts of concessions from him, complaining about their orphanhood and bitter fate.

Unlucky man

In the old days in Rus', “path” was called not only the road, but also different positions at the prince's court. The falconer's path is in charge of princely hunting, the hunter's path is in charge of hound hunting, the stableman's path is in charge of carriages and horses. The boyars tried by hook or by crook to get a position from the prince. And those who did not succeed were spoken of with disdain: a good-for-nothing person.

Inside out

Now this seems to be a completely harmless expression. And once it was associated with shameful punishment. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, a guilty boyar was placed backwards on a horse with his clothes turned inside out and, in this disgraced form, was driven around the city to the whistling and jeers of the street crowd.

Lead by the nose

Deceive by promising and not fulfilling what was promised. This expression was associated with fairground entertainment. Gypsies led bears by a ring threaded through their noses. And they forced them, the poor fellows, to do various tricks, deceiving them with the promise of a handout.

Scapegoat

This is the name given to a person who is blamed for someone else. The history of this expression is as follows: the ancient Jews had a rite of absolution. The priest laid both hands on the head of the living goat, thereby, as it were, transferring the sins of the entire people onto it. After this, the goat was driven out into the desert. Many, many years have passed, and the ritual no longer exists, but the expression still lives on.

Sharpen the laces

Lyasy (balusters) are turned figured posts of railings at the porch. Only a true master could make such beauty. Probably, at first, “sharpening balusters” meant conducting an elegant, fancy, ornate (like balusters) conversation. But in our time, the number of people skilled in conducting such a conversation became fewer and fewer. So this expression came to mean empty chatter.

Grated kalach

In the old days there really was such a type of bread - “grated kalach”. The dough for it was crumpled, kneaded, and “grated” for a very long time, which is why the kalach turned out to be unusually fluffy. And there was also a proverb - “do not grate, do not crush, there will be no kalach.” That is, trials and tribulations teach a person. The expression comes from this proverb.

Nick down

If you think about it, the meaning of this expression seems cruel - you must agree, it’s not very pleasant to imagine an ax next to your own nose. In reality, everything is not so sad. In this expression, the word “nose” has nothing to do with the organ of smell. A “nose” was the name given to a memorial plaque, or a note tag. In the distant past, illiterate people always carried such tablets and sticks with them, with the help of which they made all kinds of notes or notches for memory.

Break a leg

This expression arose among hunters and was based on the superstitious idea that with a direct wish (both down and feather), the results of a hunt can be jinxed. In the language of hunters, feather means bird, and down means animals. In ancient times, a hunter going on a hunt received this parting word, the “translation” of which looks something like this: “Let your arrows fly past the target, let the snares and traps you set remain empty, just like the trapping pit!” To which the earner, in order not to jinx it either, replied: “To hell!” And both were sure that evil spirits, invisibly present during this dialogue, will be satisfied and fall behind, and will not plot intrigues during the hunt.

Beat your head

What are “baklushi”, who “beats” them and when? For a long time, artisans have been making spoons, cups and other utensils from wood. To carve a spoon, it was necessary to chop off a block of wood from a log. Apprentices were entrusted with preparing the bucks: it was an easy, trivial task that did not require any special skill. Preparing such chocks was called “beating the lumps.” From here, from the mockery of the masters at the auxiliary workers - “baklushechnik”, our saying came from.

Rub glasses

How can glasses be rubbed in? Where and why? Such a picture would look very ridiculous. And the absurdity occurs because we are not talking about glasses at all, which are used to correct vision. There is another meaning of the word "glasses": red and black marks on playing cards. There is even a gambling card game called “point”. For as long as there have been cards, there have been dishonest players and cheaters. In order to deceive their partner, they resorted to all sorts of tricks. By the way, they knew how to quietly “rub in points” - turn a seven into a six or a four into a five, on the go, during the game, by gluing in a “point” or covering it with a special white powder. And the expression “to cheat” began to mean “to deceive”, hence other words were born: “deception”, “deception” - a trickster who knows how to embellish his work, pass off the bad as very good.

After the rain on Thursday

Rusichi - ancient ancestors Russians - among their gods they honored the main god - the god of thunder and lightning Perun. One of the days of the week was dedicated to him - Thursday (it is interesting that among the ancient Romans Thursday was also dedicated to the Latin Perun - Jupiter). Prayers were offered to Perun for rain during the drought. It was believed that he should be especially willing to fulfill requests on “his day” - Thursday. And since these prayers often remained in vain, the saying “After the rain on Thursday” began to be applied to everything that is unknown when it will come true.

When, at what times, did proverbs appear, these verbal pearls with the help of which the truth is learned?

Each nation has a unique collection of short instructive judgments, short parables called proverbs. They contain the flexibility of mind, the character, morals and customs of the people, the strength of their language. In proverbs - developed life experience a practical philosophy passed down orally from one generation to the next. Proverbs appeared many centuries ago.

The proverb is full of thought, good nature and concerns all aspects of a person’s inner life; at the same time, it is distinguished by expressiveness, accuracy, causticity, humor and, as they say, everyone should shake it on their mustache.

For the proverb, all classes and beliefs are equal, both rich and poor, and smart and stupid, in a word, it is equally strict and fair to everyone. The proverb touches everyone briefly, frankly and with mockery. Although sometimes she is not too picky in the way of expression, one should not strictly condemn her for this impudence: after all, the proverb, for the most part, originated not in salons, but in the crowd of people. The Germans, for example, cleverly called proverbs “area wisdom.”

The strongest moral link connecting people of one nation is, undoubtedly, language, and therefore a comprehensive study of it is necessary to become familiar with inner life people. The need for such acquaintance is especially manifested nowadays in the widespread desire for ethnographic research.

A good knowledge of proverbs can contribute to both serious philological study of living languages ​​and familiarization with the character and characteristics of each individual nation.

Not everyone will remember this or that poem or tell a fable, but everyone will find a place for a proverb in their speech.

What is a proverb? A proverb is a set of rules of life, a product popular thought, folk art. A chimney sweep, a shoemaker, a learned mathematician, a tailor, a baker are the people of these various professions and provisions were the creators of proverbs. How? They exchanged what “lives in their language.” So witty judgments, apt expressions, and true cunning appeared.

IN modern period, a period of contradictions and the search for truths, there is a place for objective thought of the distant past. Each era gives birth to its own proverbs. Some are forgotten immediately, others are polished and occupy their niche in the language for a long time.

What is the meaning of proverbs in Russian?

— the study of proverbs is a method of improving language, a method of learning its grammatical, phonetic and other features;

- studying proverbs helps to become more deeply acquainted with the culture of the country, understand the way of thinking and life of people;

- a proverb enriches people’s speech, it sparkles, weaves like lace;

- a number of proverbs are a response to historical events, from them we can study the era and social relationships.

Study the proverbs - “their glory reaches to the ends of the universe.”

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Alphabet - the wisdom of the step": Reading allows a person to gain education. And education gives a person knowledge and wisdom that humanity has accumulated over the years.

“Take care of your honor from a young age”. Full version proverbs “Take care of your dress again, and honor from a young age”. The meaning of the proverb indicates the need to youth monitor what people think of you, monitor your reputation, and do not commit unworthy and shameful acts. A proverb compares a person’s honor to a dress: there is no point in taking care of an old dress covered with stains. The dress must be kept new, then it will retain its appearance for a long time. It’s the same with honor, with reputation. Once spoiled in youth, you can’t wash it, you can’t whiten it. People around him will remember what bad and obscene things were done by this person, and all his life they will treat him accordingly. Therefore, those who think that all mistakes of young people are forgiven and all bad offenses are forgotten are mistaken. Honor is given to a person only for the rest of his life, try not to tarnish it in his youth.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "IN healthy body- healthy mind". Cheerfulness of spirit, clarity of thoughts and good mood depends on wellness bodies. When something hurts and you feel weak - state of mind also suffers. Weakness of the body has a bad effect on mental abilities, the ability to think and concentrate. Therefore, taking care of the body is both strengthening the mind and taking care of peace of mind Same.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Water wears away stones", “A drop wears away a stone”: Over time, any action will definitely produce results. Nothing passes without a trace, even the smallest events. So it is in human life - persistent, methodical efforts will certainly overcome the obstacle and achieve the goal.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "The deaf man listens to the mute man speak": the proverb means people’s misunderstanding of each other, the meaninglessness of the conversation, and inattention to the interlocutor. Proverb with similar meaning: "Conversation between a blind man and a deaf man."

Explain the meaning of the proverb “The guest is not a guide to the owner”: according to the laws of politeness, it is not customary for a guest to give orders in the host’s house. A guest in someone else's house, in a foreign country, does not host, does not tell the owner how to live, does not allow himself harsh criticism. And even more so, it is indecent for a guest to quarrel or conflict with the owner. Proverb similar in meaning “They don’t interfere with someone else’s monastery with their own rules”.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Your anger is your enemy": When angry, a person is capable of very bad things. In anger, a person does not understand the words he speaks. Therefore, you need to deal with anger the same way as with an enemy: try not to let it get to you, and not allow it to control you.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "The master's work is afraid": any, even the most difficult task, lends itself to skillful hands and persistent efforts. Proverb with similar meaning:

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Sharing the skin of an unkilled bear". This means taking credit for achievements that have not yet been achieved.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “Time for business, time for fun”. Things need to be planned and given to them most time. Entertainment should be a small part of life, otherwise work will suffer. To live a decent life, you need to work first, and only then you can happily leave yourself some time for fun.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “A kind word to a man is like rain in a drought”: the word has great power. In difficult times kind word support can encourage a person, breathe life into him, and strengthen his strength. It's like a sip of water that quenches your thirst.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Friend is known in trouble". Its meaning is this: a true friend is someone who comes to the rescue in misfortune or helps solve a problem. This is the only way to recognize a true friend: by your willingness to help. You cannot yet call real friends those with whom you just have fun or communicate when everything is fine with you. It is still unknown how they will behave if you feel bad, whether they will need you. Friend, his sincere feelings for you and willingness to help can only be tested in a problematic situation.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “If you chase two hares, you won’t catch one”. The meaning of the proverb: doing two things at the same time is unwise, because neither of them will work out well. This happens because attention and effort are scattered across many things at once. One thing interferes with another, and vice versa. Two things, like two birds with one stone, pull a person into different sides, and in the end he is left empty-handed.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “Put it in your belt.” It comes from the habit in old Russia of tucking mittens, tools, and various small things into the belt. This is what they say about a master of his craft, who has no equal; all his rivals are much weaker than him. “Put in the belt” means to treat something or someone carelessly, dashingly, skillfully, and not even take it into account. A saying similar in meaning: “And doesn’t hold a candle”

Explain the meaning of the proverb “They cut down the forest - the chips fly”. The proverb means that during big events, small things and people often suffer. Often no attention is paid to them, because the big deal is more important. An example would be revolution or reform. Therefore, if something global is happening, expect trouble - ordinary people you need to look for shelter, because the “chips” will fall into them.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Small spool but precious": not everything is important big sizes and lush appearance. Not everything of value is immediately noticeable, but this does not detract from its importance and value. So the coin is small, but its price is high.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "The bear stepped on my ear". This is what they say about those people who don’t know how musical ear, they sing out of tune and are out of tune.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "A lot of snow - a lot of bread". It has long been noted that after snowy winter the harvest is better. Under the snow cover, the ground rests well during the winter, does not freeze, and in the spring it is abundantly moistened with melt water. Melt water They also carry with them particles of fertile soil.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “The thief’s hat is on fire”. The proverb confirms the popular observation that in every case the culprit is visible - everything in it reveals his actions. Even appearance his expression and clothing are suspicious. A proverb close in meaning - “The cat knows whose meat it ate”.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “I found a scythe on a stone”. It means that the force unexpectedly encountered an obstacle, the same counterforce, and stopped.

Explain the meaning of the proverb: “They carry water for the offended” or “They carry water for angry people”. It is said when someone is angry or offended without reason, because of a trifle. This proverb says that the most angry person only gets worse from his anger or resentment.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "There is safety in numbers": A person alone can do little, like a lone soldier in a war. For important things, he needs a team, he needs the help of other people. Only as a community can we truly be “warriors” and change something in the world.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "One for all and all for one". She talks about the true, faithful friendship of comrades who always and in all cases help each other. They support and stand by each other in times of need.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Under Tsar Pea" Here we are talking about something that happened a long time ago, in time immemorial. Or maybe what is being said did not happen at all. After all, King Pea is a character from fairy tales, and no one is sure whether he ever really lived.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “Tearing and throwing”. This saying means an extreme degree of anger and rage. To do this, it is not necessary to literally tear something to shreds and throw (throw). But the meaning says that a person is ready for destruction, he is so angry.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Birds of a feather flock together". The proverb speaks of the solidarity of people. Each person first of all notices in a crowd of people someone who is somewhat similar to himself, who is similar to him. There is solidarity among professions, brotherhood based on profession: be it a fisherman, a journalist, a doctor, a factory worker, a military man, and so on.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “Work loves fools”. The proverb reminds us that there is “bad work”, redundant and unnecessary. A fool is the one who undertakes it, instead of thinking whether it is worth doing at all, or inventing a more practical, more useful way of doing it. Working hard and exhausting yourself is not the right decision in this case.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Seven do not wait for one": The majority always decides. A decision in any situation is always made based on the interests of the majority.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Seven times measure cut once": before doing something, you need to think, weigh everything, calculate possible mistakes and results. Then things will work out well.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “The word is silver, and silence is gold”. The words spoken are of great importance. But by holding your tongue in time, you can sometimes do much better than if you spoke out. In many situations, eloquent or restrained silence is much more valuable than any words.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Old age is no joy": in old age a person is overcome by weaknesses and illnesses. The body no longer obeys as much as before, and a person’s capabilities are limited. There are fewer and fewer comrades who leave for another world. Therefore, there is no reason to rejoice in old age.

Explain the meaning of the proverb « Good friend closer than brother": often people become very close not through kinship, but through friendship. A faithful comrade plays no less a place in life than relatives. And often - even more, because you don’t choose your relatives - good or bad, they already exist. But we choose our friends ourselves, common interests, By spiritual qualities, according to our mutual understanding with them.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Do not count your chickens before they are hatched". The proverb means: achievements and successes should be counted not at the beginning of a business, nor during its progress, but according to the final result. The origin of the proverb “Chickens are counted in the fall” comes from a comparison: it is difficult to raise chickens after they have hatched from eggs in the summer. Many of them die small and do not survive until the fall, and therefore only in the fall can we say how many chickens were raised. A proverb with similar meaning: “Dividing the skin of an unkilled bear.”

Explain the meaning of the proverb "A tongue grinds without bones": It’s easy for the tongue to chatter, nothing bothers it. This is what they say when a person does not think at all about what he is saying, and how appropriate what he said is, and how much it is worth saying at all.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “Language will bring you to Kyiv”: By communicating with people, you can cope with any task. The main thing is not to be afraid to ask.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "My tongue is my enemy": often carelessly spoken words bring a person into trouble, into conflict with other people. This results in quarrels, resentments, misunderstandings, even violence. Therefore, before you give free rein to your own tongue, you need to think about what you are going to say every time. As if your tongue is really the enemy, and you need to be on your guard with it.

Explain the meaning of the proverb “The tongue gives the message to the tongue”: any new information is very quickly passed on by word of mouth.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Patience and a little effort". A person’s efforts and efforts over time can solve any problem, overcome any obstacle. This may not happen right away, but still. Gradually, slowly, but things will get better, but you can’t retreat, you need to continue to strive. Proverb with similar meaning: “A drop wears away a stone”

Explain the meaning of the proverb: no one is perfect. Every person has his own shortcomings, everyone makes mistakes in life one way or another.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "And the frog may drown": There is nothing from which a person would be insured. No matter how strong, smart, energetic he is, he can still make mistakes or fail to cope with something. Proverb with similar meaning: “Don’t swear off prison and money”, “Even an old woman gets screwed”.

Explain the meaning of the proverb "Down and Out trouble started": it’s always more difficult to start, and then everything starts to go easier, faster, “roll like clockwork.”

Explain the meaning of the proverb "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush": it is better to be content with small, but real, than to strive for huge, but unrealistic.