Includes bibliographical references (p. 691-710).

This work contains more than 15,000 proverbs in common use in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to uniquely American proverbs, it includes. . . traditional proverbs that have found their way into American usage from British, classical, biblical, and European literature. . . . The fieldwork on which this volume is based was done from the early 1940s through the end of the 1970s by the American Dialect Society. Over 150,000 citations were collected. Each entry is arranged alphabetically by keyword and may include variants, informant's comments to help clarify the meaning of obscure proverbs, geographic distribution (states and provinces), and cross-references. Where possible, date and earliest-known written source are included for each proverb.