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beggar

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beggar's bush

Ruin or devastation. Unless you want to end up at beggar's bush, you better watch how much money you're spending.

See also: bush

beggar (all) description

to defy description; to be unable to be described. The house was a horrible mess. The place beggared description. Our reaction to the proposal beggars description. We were deeply disturbed for days.

See also: beggar, description

Beggars can't be choosers.

Prov. If someone gives you something you asked for, you should not complain about what you get. I asked Joe to lend me his bicycle, and he sent me this old, rusty one. But beggars can't be choosers. Jill: Let me wear your green dress; I don't like the blue one you lent me. Jane: Beggars can't be choosers.

See also: Beggar

If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.

Prov. People make a lot of wishes, but wishing is useless. Jill: If I were Queen of the World, I would make sure that everyone had enough to eat. Jane: And if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. Alan: I sure wish I had one of those expensive cameras. Jane: If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.

See also: beggar, if, ride, wish

Set a beggar on horseback, and he'll ride to the devil.

Prov. If a poor person becomes wealthy, he or she will quickly become corrupt. Jill: Since Phil inherited all that money, all he does is go to parties and take drugs. Jane: Yep. Set a beggar on horseback, and he'll ride to the devil.

See also: and, beggar, devil, on, ride, set

Beggars can't be choosers.

something that you say which means when you cannot have exactly what you want, you must accept whatever you can get I would have preferred a house of my own rather than sharing but I suppose beggars can't be choosers.

See also: Beggar

beggar description

Defy or outdo any possible description, as in The stage set was so elaborate, it beggared description. This term, alluding to the idea that words are insufficient to do something justice, was already used by Shakespeare in Antony and Cleopatra (2:2), "For her own person It beggared all description."

See also: beggar, description

beggars can't be choosers

Those in dire need must be content with what they get. For example, The cheapest model will have to do-beggars can't be choosers. This expression was familiar enough to be included in John Heywood's 1546 collection of proverbs.

See also: beggar

if wishes were horses

If one could readily have what one wanted, life would be easy. For example, Wendy would love a brand-new car for her sixteenth birthday but-if wishes were horses. This expression is a shortening of If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, first recorded about 1628 in a collection of Scottish proverbs.

See also: horse, if, wish