bark is worse than one's bite



- someone is not as bad-tempered as they appear
- someone blames his tools or the material that he is working with for his own bad work

The carpenter was angry that his saw did not cut well. As often happens, a bad workman blames his tools.


bark is worse than one's bite



- someone is not as bad-tempered as they appear

The supervisor was always threatening to fire anyone who was late but he never did anything. His bark was worse than his bite.

better safe than sorry



- it is better to be careful than to take a chance and risk an accident or illness or a failure which you may regret

It is better to be safe than sorry and I always bring my umbrella to work when it is a cloudy day.


better the devil you know than the devil you don't



- it may be better to endure a situation that you are accustomed to than to risk a change for something that may be worse

My friend wanted to change banks but he felt that it was better the
devil he knew than the devil he didn't so he stayed with his old bank.

old habits die hard



- it is hard to stop doing something that has become a habit even if you want to stop it

Old habits die hard and it is very difficult for my grandfather to change his habits.


once bitten, twice shy



- if something goes wrong one time then you will be careful about doing the same thing again

Once bitten, twice shy and after the woman lost much money on the stock market she did not want to invest

one good turn deserves another



- a good deed or doing a good thing should be repaid with another good deed or by doing another good thing

One good turn deserves another and I was quick to help my friend after he helped me.

one man's meat is another man's poison



- what is good for one person may be bad or unsuitable for another person

One man's meat is another man's poison and while some people like to eat fish, other people may hate fish.


one man's trash is another man's treasure



- something that someone thinks has no value may be considered valuable by someone else

One man's trash is another man's treasure and people were happy to find the old furniture outside the house.


out of sight, out of mind



- something that is no longer visible will be easily forgotten

The little boy was out of sight and out of mind until his mother
discovered that he had emptied all of the shampoo containers into the
toilet.