a swallow doesnt make a summer là gì

An allusion to the return of migrating swallows at the start of the summer season.

Calque of Ancient Greek μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ [mía khelidṑn éar ou poieî], a remark found in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics [1098a18: “one swallow does not a summer make, nor one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy”], itself inspired by the fable The Young Man and the Swallow by Aesop.

The unusual English word order [in use from c. 1920][1] may be influenced by the line “Stone walls do not a prison make,” from To Althea, from Prison by Richard Lovelace [1642].

ProverbEdit

one swallow does not a summer make

1. One instance of an event [such as the arrival of a single bird] does not necessarily indicate a trend.

   • 1886, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 9, in Jo's Boys:

     [T]hough one swallow does not make a summer, one engagement is apt to make several, and her boys were, most of them, at the inflammable age when a spark ignites the flame[.]

   • 1921 April 4, “Smile a While”, in The Day‎[1], retrieved 29 November 2011, page 6:

     One swallow does not a summer make, nor one onion a spring garden.

   • 1969 September 19, Bob Johnson, “Sports: September Madness”, in Spokane Daily Chronicle‎[2], page 15:

     One swallow does not a summer make and one football game doesn't make a season.

   • 2001 June 24, Susan Tifft, “The Philippines: Now the Hard Part”, in Time‎[3]:

     Added one Western diplomat: "Aquino's success undoubtedly weakens the Communists' appeal to the so-called mass base. But one swallow does not a summer make."

TranslationsEdit

See alsoEdit

• X does not a Y make [snowclone]

ReferencesEdit

1. ^ does not a summer make at Google Ngram Viewer

AnagramsEdit

• one swallow does not make a summer

One piece of evidence does not mean that something is definitely the case or is going to happen. A reference to the migration of swallows that happens in the spring or early summer. A lot of things went right for us this year, but one swallow does not make a summer—we still have a long ways to go before our finances are back in order. A: "I'm really worried the boss is going to fire me. He said he really wasn't happy with my work lately!" B: "Calm down, one swallow doesn't make a summer."

See also: does, make, not, one, summer, swallow

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Prov. You should not assume that something is true just because you have seen one piece of evidence for it. Amanda: I got a good grade on this quiz! My troubles in school are over. Nancy: One swallow does not a summer make.

See also: does, make, not, one, summer, swallow

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

You say one swallow doesn't make a summer to mean that although something good has happened, the situation may not continue to be good, and you cannot rely on it. Sales in December were up about 1 percent, which of course, is good news. One swallow, however, doesn't make a summer and it remains to be seen whether they can maintain this growth in the difficult months ahead. Note: People often use the more literary phrase one swallow does not a summer make. One swallow does not a summer make, but a visit to the Hotel Metropole in Ipswich goes a long way to improving that city's reputation. Note: Swallows are a type of bird. The reference here is to the arrival of swallows in Europe at the beginning of summer, after spending the winter further south.

See also: make, one, summer, swallow

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

1998 Spectator One swallow doesn't make a summer…nor one instance of police dereliction of duty, incompetence, laziness and stupidity a complete breakdown in law and order.

See also: make, one, summer, swallow

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

This expression refers to the fact that swallows [= small birds with a tail with two points] spend the winter in Africa but fly to northern countries for the summer.

See also: make, one, summer, swallow

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

A single portent or element of something does not mean the totality is here. This ancient adage, known already in Greek times, may come from one of Aesop’s fables. A swallow emerges on a warmer-than-usual winter day, and a young man, seeing it, sells his warm cloak and spends the proceeds on drink and carousing. The following week, the weather turns cold again, and he, shivering without his cloak, discovers that one swallow did not mean summer had arrived. Appearing in many proverb collections and in numerous languages, along with numerous variants [One grain does not fill a sack, one actor cannot make a play, and the like], the term was defined by George Pettie in 1576: “As one swallow does not make sommer, so one particularity concludeth no generality.”

See also: does, make, not, one, summer, swallow

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer

one swallow does not make a summer

one swallow doesn't make a summer

one swallow doesn't make a summer

one ˌswallow doesn’t make a ˈsummer

• one swallow does not make a spring
• one swallow does not make a summer
• one swallow does not a spring make
• one swallow does not a summer make
• definitely
• definitely not
• Definitely not!
• no doubt about it
• [as] sure as eggs [is eggs]
• swallow up