Idioms, Proverbs, & Sayings 2

"Don't throw the baby out with the bath water" is an idiom warning against losing valuable things, ideas, or people while trying to eliminate unwanted aspects of a situation.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" means that it's better to hold onto something you have rather than risking it for the possibility of gaining something better that you might never get.

The origin of this saying dates back to Medieval Falconry, when holding on to the falcon (a valuable trained bird) ensured you had successfully captured a bird rather than taking chances on capturing one from the wild.

There is no clear origin on the phrase "crocodile tears," but it does appear to come from a belief that the reptiles do pretend to feel remorse.

A "baker's dozen" comes from the middle ages when laws existed to prevent bakers  from selling underweight bread loaves.

So as to not break the law, bakers would give a free extra piece of bread, numbering the loaf pieces to thirteen, thus giving birth to a "baker's dozen."

Captain Edward A. Murphy, an American aerospace engineer who became frustrated when a set of sensors was wired incorrectly during a test, said of his assistant, "if there is a way to do something that will end in disaster, he will do it that way."

This was shortened to "anything that can go wrong will go wrong" by his co-workers and was coined as Murphy's Law.