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teach
those who can't do, teach
Those who are unable to successfully find a career in their field of interest end up teaching about it instead. (A shortening of "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.") A: "I know he always aspired to be a great novelist, but the last I heard, he's still teaching middle school English." B: "Well, those who can't do, teach."
don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs
An older person is wiser and more experienced and worldly than a young person may think—thus, the older person does not need to be taught. I may be 70, but I've been using a computer since before you were born! Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs, sonny!
teach a man to fish
Teaching someone how to do something is more helpful to him or her in the long run than just doing it for him or her. The full proverb is "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." A: "I don't want to teach Billy how to drive!" B: "Well, I know you're sick of driving him around, and this is a solution. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime!" I'm trying to show my grandfather how to use his new computer, so that he won't call me with questions every time he tries to use it—teach a man to fish and all that.
teach (one's) grandmother to suck eggs
To try to teach an older person who is wiser and more experienced and wordly than a young person may think. Why are you explaining basic typing to Ethel? Yes, she's 70, but she's been using a computer since before you were born—quit teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.
teach one's grandmother to suck eggs
Fig. to try to tell or show someone more knowledgeable or experienced than oneself how to do something. Don't suggest showing Mary how to knit. It will be like teaching your grandmother to suck eggs. Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs. Bob has been playing tennis for years.
teach someone a lesson
to get even with someone for bad behavior. John tripped me, so I punched him. That ought to teach him a lesson. That taught me a lesson. I won't do it again.
that'll teach someone
Inf. What happened to someone is a suitable punishment! (The someone is usually a pronoun.) Bill: Tom, who has cheated on his taxes for years, finally got caught. Sue: That'll teach him. Bill: Gee, I got a ticket for speeding. Fred: That'll teach you!
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
Prov. People who are able to do something well can do that thing for a living, while people who are not able to do anything that well make a living by teaching. (Used to disparage teachers. From George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman.) Bob: I'm so discouraged. My writing teacher told me my novel is hopeless. Jane: Don't listen to her, Bob. Remember: those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
*tricks of the trade
special skills and knowledge associated with any trade or profession. (*Typically: know ~; learn ~; show someone ~; teach someone ~.) I know a few tricks of the trade that make things easier. I learned the tricks of the trade from my uncle.
You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.
Prov. Someone who is used to doing things a certain way cannot change. (Usually not polite to say about the person you are talking to; you can say it about yourself or about a third person.) I've been away from school for fifteen years; I can't go back to college now. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Kevin's doctor told him not to eat starchy food anymore, but Kevin still has potatoes with every meal. I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
teach (somebody) a lesson
also teach a lesson to somebody to show what should not be done You would think that losing her job because she took too much time off would have taught her a lesson, but it's happened again! He had this idea that the government is evil and must be taught a lesson, so he blew up a government office.
teach school
to instruct students in a school Buller left journalism to teach school, and he wrote several books about his experiences.
tricks of the trade
methods that help you to do a job better or faster As a journalist, you learn the tricks of the trade pretty quickly or you don't get your stories.
teach somebody a lesson
to punish someone so that they will not behave badly again The next time she's late, go without her. That should teach her a lesson.
teach your grandmother to suck eggs
(British & Australian) to give advice to someone about a subject that they already know more about than you You're teaching your grandmother to suck eggs, Ted. I've been playing this game since before you were born!
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
something that you say which means it is difficult to make someone change the way they do something when they have been doing it the same way for a long time You're never going to teach your father at the age of 79 to use a computer. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, you know.
tricks of the trade
clever methods that help you to do a job better or faster As a journalist, you learn the tricks of the trade pretty quickly or you don't survive.
teach a lesson
Punish in order to prevent a recurrence of bad behavior. For example,
Timmy set the wastebasket on fire; that should teach him a lesson about playing with matches . This term uses
lesson in the sense of "a punishment or rebuke," a usage dating from the late 1500s. Also see
learn one's lesson.
teach an old dog new tricks
Change longstanding habits or ways, especially in an old person. For example, His grandmother avoids using the microwave oven-you can't teach an old dog new tricks. This expression, alluding to the difficulty of changing one's ways, was first recorded in 1523 in a book of husbandry, where it was used literally. By 1546 a version of it appeared in John Heywood's proverb collection.
tricks of the trade
Clever ways of operating a business or performing a task or activity, especially slightly dishonest or unfair ones. For example, Alma knows all the tricks of the trade, cutting the fabric as close as possible, or The butcher weighs meat after it's wrapped; charging for the packaging is one of the tricks of the trade .
That’ll teach someone
sent. That is what someone deserves. That’ll teach you to pull out in front of me.
tricks of the trade
n. special skills and knowledge associated with any trade or profession. I know a few tricks of the trade that make things easier.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks
Getting people to change their habits or acquire new skills is impossible. Puppies are teachable, but older dogs are less apt to be able to be trained, or so popular wisdom had it. By the same token, an octogenarian who has read the morning newspaper for decades is unlikely to be willing, much less eager, to switch to the online edition.