What does the expression if wishes were horses mean?

If one could readily have what one wanted, life would be easy. For example, Wendy would love a brand-new car for her sixteenth birthday but—if wishes were horses. This expression is a shortening of If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, first recorded about 1628 in a collection of Scottish proverbs.

Where does the saying if wishes were horses come from?

“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride” is a proverb and nursery rhyme, first recorded about 1628 in a collection of Scottish proverbs, which suggests if wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted.

What is the saying if wishes were fishes?

Carried through to its modern first-line conclusion: “if wishes were fishes then beggars would eat,” its meaning becomes plain, especially when it comes to weight loss. Both the Scottish and English versions suggest it’s useless to wish, and infer that better results will be achieved through action.

What does Never look a gift horse in the mouth mean?

: to look in a critical way at something that has been given to one I noticed the guitar wasn’t made of real wood, but I didn’t say anything because you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

What is the meaning of If wishes were horses?

if wishes were horses. Wishing for something won’t make it happen. You have to work for the things you want, not merely wish for them to come true. A shortening of the proverb “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”. A: “I just wish I earned a little bit more money than I do now.”.

When was If wishes were horses, beggars would ride written?

“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride” is a proverb and nursery rhyme, first recorded about 1628 in a collection of Scottish proverbs., which suggests if wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 20004. Common newer versions include:

What’s the nursery rhyme If wishes were horses?

There’d be no work for tinkers’ hands! If Wishes Were Horses can also be sung in a shorter version. Here it is: beggars would ride. I’d wear one by my side! It’s time to listen to If Wishes Were Horses (Beggars Would Ride)!

What does quark say to Odo in If wishes were horses?

Quark finds Odo in his bar during a particularly quiet time, continuing to oversee the area (and always keeping an eye on himself), so he starts to tell him that he needs to lighten up and have some fun, perhaps in a holosuite. Odo dismisses imagination as a sign that one is not paying attention to one’s real life.