Both Uses of
proverb
in
Persuasion, by Jane Austen
- The listener's proverbial fate was not absolutely hers; she had heard no evil of herself, but she had heard a great deal of very painful import.†
Chpt 10 *
- Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman's fickleness.†
Chpt 23
Definitions:
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(1)
(proverb as in: the well-known proverb) a short saying -- typically well-known and accepted by many as offering good adviceThe adjective, proverbial, may refer to a proverb or to anything that is well-known -- as in "It is a proverbial fish story exaggeration."
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(2)
(Proverbs as in: from The Book of Proverbs) a work of wisdom literature found in both the Old Testament of the Christian Bible and the Hebrew Bible
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(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus