A stitch in time saves nine.

Meaning: It's better to fix a problem early on than to wait until it gets worse.

Choice of Words: Stitch is a loop of thread or yarn used to sew. Time is a period during which something happens. Saves means to prevent something bad from happening. Nine is the number that comes after eight.

Alternative Expressions

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Meaning: This means that it's better to take steps to prevent something bad from happening, even if it seems like a small thing, than to wait until it happens and then try to fix it. It's like saying, It's better to get a flu shot to prevent getting the flu, than to wait until you get the flu and then take medicine to make you feel better.

Choice of Words: Ounce is a unit of measurement for weight, and pound is a larger unit of measurement for weight. Prevention means to stop something from happening, and cure means to make something better after it has happened. When you put them together, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" means that it's better to prevent something bad from happening than to try to fix it after it's already happened.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Meaning: This means that it's better to have something that you know you have, even if it's not the best thing, than to have something that you might get, but that you're not sure about. It's like saying, It's better to have a small bird that you're holding in your hand, than to have two birds that you see in the bush, but that you might not be able to catch.

Choice of Words: Bird is an animal that can fly, and hand is the part of your body that you use to hold things. Bush is a group of trees or shrubs. When you put them together, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" means that it's better to have something certain than to have something that is possible but not guaranteed.

Related Expressions