# Frigyes Karinthy's funniest explanations of proverbs from his "Simple-Minded Lexicon"

"You can't make bacon out of a dog. Lard, at most." In his Együgyű lexikon, the Hungarian humorist Frigyes Karinthy (1887–1938) explained the best-known Hungarian proverbs literally and turned them upside down. The best ones, from the text in the Hungarian Electronic Library.

- 24 votes · 15 items
- Aug 4, 2025 · Juhász Nóra
- https://even.best/en/l/5274/frigyes-karinthy-s-funniest-explanations-of-proverbs-from-his-simple-minded-lexi

## Top 15

1. **All appearances deceive.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: But every deceiver shows.
2. **A barking dog doesn't bite.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: Beginners are warned, however, that dogs do not know this proverb.
3. **Walk slowly and you will get further.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: For a schoolboy facing his final exams it works the other way round: he matures slowly, so he stays in school longer.
4. **He who is not content with little does not deserve much.** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Karinthy's explanation: And so he gets it undeservedly.
5. **A cloak after the rain (too late).** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Karinthy's explanation: A health rule: after rain the air is usually cooler, so it is advisable to put on a coat.
6. **In the dark all cows are black.** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Karinthy's explanation: An industrial discovery of extraordinary importance, which can save large amounts of black lacquer and paint.
7. **You can't make bacon out of a dog.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: Lard, at most.
8. **Everyone is the smith (kovács) of his own fortune.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: Except Gyula Kovács.
9. **Patience bears roses.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: Nothing else.
10. **All that glitters is not gold.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: Under favourable circumstances it may also be diamond.
11. **The early riser finds gold.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: But whoever has found gold goes to bed late and cannot get up early the next day. Best not to go to bed at all.
12. **Blood does not turn into water.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: An experience refuted by the latest medical science (see: dropsy).
13. **Stretch only as far as your blanket reaches.** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Karinthy's explanation: A health tip that is unpleasant mainly for those with very long blankets.
14. **Whoever digs a pit for another falls into it himself.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Karinthy's explanation: Whoever causes trouble for someone else ends up in trouble himself.
15. **The wise learn from others' losses.** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Karinthy's explanation: For example, if someone learns French, it is his father's loss, because he has to pay the teacher.

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