oth
gied her a tug.

Ower muckle hameliness spoils gude courtesy.

"Too much familiarity breeds contempt."--_English._

Ower muckle loose leather about your chafts.

A rude but expressive way of saying that a person is not looking
well, or is, _Scotice_, "thin."

Ower muckle cookery spoils the brochan.

Ower muckle o' ae thing is gude for naething.

Ower narrow counting culyes nae kindness.

To "culye" is to gain, to draw forth. "When people deal in rigour
with us we think ourselves but little obliged to them."--_Kelly._

Ower reckless may repent.

Ower sicker, ower loose.

Or, you are either too harsh and stringent, or the very reverse.

Ower strong meat for your weak stamack.

Ower sune is easy mended.

[Illustration]

Patch and lang sit, build and soon flit.

A slow and gradual rise is likely to prove a permanent one; but a
rapid or sudden one merely temporary; or, as the Irishman said, "Up
like a rocket, and down like its stick."

Paterson's mare aye goes foremost.

Pay-before-hand's never weel ser'd.

The tradesman is said to be troubled with two kinds of bad
customers, viz., those who pay in advance, or "before-hand," and
those who do not pay at all.

Pay him in his ain coin.

Pennyless souls maun pine in purgatory.

Penny-wheep's gude enough for muslin-kail.

"Penny-wheep," says Jamieson, "is the weakest kind of small beer,
sold at a _penny_ per bottle;" and muslin-kail is a common kind of
broth. The proverb expresses that poor service merits poor reward.

Peter's in, Paul's out.

"Spoken when, after we had wanted a necessary person a long time,
upon his arrival, another equally necessary is gone."--_Kelly._

Pigs may whistle, but they hae an ill mouth for't.

Applied when an awkward person is attempting to perform some work of
which he is incapable.

Penny wise and pound foolish.

Pint stoups hae lang lugs.

For a great deal is said over them, which, but for their influence,
would not be heard.

Pith's gude at a' play but threading o' needles.

Plack aboot's fair play.

Placks and bawbees grow pounds.

Plaister thick and some will stick.

Play carle wi' me again if you daur.

"Do not dare to offer to contest with me. Spoke by parents to
stubborn children."--_Kelly._

Play's gude while it's play.

Pleading at the law is like fighting through a whin bush--the harde