A dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

There’s no FOOL like an old fool
□1546 J. HEYWOOD Dialogue of Proverbs II. ii. F4V But there is no foole to the olde foole, folke saie. 1721 J. KELLY Scottish Proverbs 256 No fool to an old Fool. Spoken when Men of advanc’d Age behave themselves, or talk youthfully, or wantonly. 1732 T. FULLER Gnomologia no. 3570 No Fool like the old Fool. 1814 SCOTT Waverley III. xv. And troth he might hae ta’en warning, but there’s nae fule like an ould fule. 1910 R. KIPLING Rewards & Fairies 257 ‘There are those who have years without knowledge.’ ‘Right,’ said Puck. ‘No fool like an old fool.’ 2001 Washington Post 8 July B5 But these fantasies are more proper to a young person; beyond the age of, say, 50, they become the fantasy of that fool like whom we are told there is no other, the old fool. "old age; stupidity
A FOOL may give a wise man counsel
□a 1350 Ywain & Gawain (EETS) 1.1477 Bot yit a fole that litel kan [knows], May wele cownsail another man. 1641 D. FERGUSSON Scottish Proverbs (STS) no. 84 A Fool may give a wyse man a counsell. 1721 J. KELLY Scottish Proverbs 25 A Fool may give a wise Man counsel by a time. An Apology of those who offer their Advice to them, who may be supposed to excel them in Parts and Sense. 1818 SCOTT Heart of Midlothian IV. viii. If a fule may gie a wise man a counsel, I wad hae him think twice or [before] he mells [meddles] wi’ Knockdunder. 1942 E. P. OPPENHEIM Man who changed Plea xvii. Aren’t we all fools.. in one or two things?.. Even a fool, though, can sometimes give good advice. ■ advice; fools
FOOL me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me
Earlier, and still current, with the verb deceive.
□1611 Tarlton’s Jests (1844) 11 For Who deceives me once, God forgive him; if twice, God forgive him; but if thrice, God forgive him, but not me, because I could not beware. 1650 A. WELLDON Secret History of King James I (1690) 88 The Italians having a Proverb, He that deceives me Once, it’s his Fault; but Twice it is my fault. 1659 N. R. Proverbs English, French, Dutch, Italian & Spanish 54 He that deceives me once, it is his faul[t]; if twice, it is mine. 1980 Forbes 17 Mar. 69 The important thing in dealing with the Japanese is not to believe everything you hear. Or, as the saying goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. 2001 Washington Times 3 Oct. A17 You know the old saying, ‘Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.’ How does that apply in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 act of war against our country? 2002 P. LOVESEY Diamond Dust xxx. 297 ‘Did you give him any?’ ‘No. I wouldn’t be so daft. You know that old saying? He that deceives me once, shame fall him; if he deceives me twice, shame fall me.’ "deception
fool see also CHILDREN and fools tell the truth; FORTUNE favours fools; a man who is his own LAWYER has a fool for his client; MORE people know Tom Fool than Tom Fool knows; SIX hours’ sleep for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool; YOUNG folks think old folks to be fools, but old folks know young folks to be fools; also FOOLS.