Proverb

1. Better late than never

Meaning: To arrive or do something later than expected isn't good, but it is better than not at all.

2. A cat may look at a king

Meaning: An inferior isn't completely restricted in what they may do in the presence of a superior.

3. All's well that ends well

Meaning: A risky enterprise is justified so long as it turns out well in the end.

 4. A miss is as good as a mile

Meaning: A [narrow] miss is as bad as a wide miss - they are both misses.

5. Don't try to teach your Grandma to suck eggs

Meaning: Don't offer advice to someone who has more experience than oneself.

6. Put the cart before the horse

Meaning: Reverse the accepted order of things.

7. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts

Meaning: Don't trust your enemies.

8. Beauty is only skin deep

Meaning: Physical beauty is superficial.

9. An Englishman's home is his castle

Meaning: The English dictum that a man's home is his refuge.

10. All things must pass

Meaning: Nothing lasts forever.

11. Grist to the mill

Meaning: All things are a potential source of profit or advantage.

12. All things come to he who waits

Meaning: Literal meaning - in praise of patience.

13. Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Meaning: The lack of something increases the desire for it.

14. A rolling stone gathers no moss

Meaning: Someone who does not settle in one place rarely prospers.

15. A place for everything and everything in its place

Meaning: The notion that everything should have a place to be stored in and that it should be tidily returned there when not in use.

16. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

Meaning: A small amount of knowledge can mislead people into thinking that they are more expert than they really are.

17. Man's best friend

Meaning: An animal that performs valuable service to humans, often with reference to dogs.

18. A fish rots from the head down

Meaning: When an organization or state fails, it is the leadership that is the root cause.

19. A picture is worth a thousand words

Meaning: A picture tells a story just as well as a large amount of descriptive text.

 20. A friend in need is a friend indeed

Meaning: This is one of the phrases in the language that is interesting because there are various interpretations of the meaning. Firstly, is it 'a friend in need is a friend indeed' or 'a friend in need is a friend in deed'. Clearly, that would have a bearing on the meaning.

The 'in need' is also open to interpretation - is it 'a friend (when you are) in need' or 'a friend (who is) in need'. If the former, then the phrase means: 'someone who helps you when you are in need is a true friend'. If the latter, it is 'someone who needs your help becomes especially friendly in order to obtain it'.

So, that gives us four options:

1. A friend, (when you are) in need, is indeed a true friend. ('indeed')
2. A friend, (when you are) in need, is someone who is prepared to act to show it ('in deed')
3. A friend, (who is) in need, is indeed a true friend. ('indeed')
4. A friend, (who is) in need, is someone who is prepared to act to show it ('in deed')

The original meaning can be resolved to some degree by the documentary evidence - see below. Nevertheless, there is no unambiguous right or wrong here and this is a phrase that we probably infer the meaning of from context when we first hear it. Whichever of the above options we initially elect for will cement our understanding of the phrase; probably forever, if the vehemence of the mutually contradictory mails I get on this subject are anything to go by.