spare (one's) feelings

To restrain from doing something that might cause someone embarrassment, discomfort, or anxiety. The teacher decided to spare my feelings and didn't tell the class who scored the lowest mark on the test. Instead of saying I didn't like her personality, I tried to spare her feelings and said that I wasn't really ready to start dating again yet.

spare (someone's) blushes

To keep from making someone feel embarrassed or awkward. However, due to your family's great service to the crown, we will spare your blushes and not create a public scandal around this debacle. I tried sparing her blushes when she asked me to prom by saying I had no intention of going with anyone.

spare at the spigot and spill at the bung

To be frugal with trivial matters and reckless with more significant ones. The phrase describes the incongruity of turning off water at the spigot but leaving the bung, or stopper, off the reservoir. A: "Dad never lets us turn the heat up in the winter because it's too expensive, yet he ignores any problem around the house until it becomes a major repair." B: "I know, he always spares at the spigot and spills at the bung." I know you like to spare at the spigot and spill at the bung, but you would save so much money in the long run if you got a new car, instead of repairing all these nagging issues.

spare the rod and spoil the child

proverb If you avoid disciplining your child for behaving badly, they will never grow out of that bad behavior and will become spoiled as a result. I just think it's crazy that Susan and Jonathan let their children dictate the terms of the house like that. They have got to lay down the law—spare the rod and spoil the child.

See also: and, child, rod, spare, spoil

spare the rod and spoil the child.

Prov. You should punish a child when he or she misbehaves, because if you do not, the child will grow up expecting everyone to indulge him or her. Jane: How can you allow your little boy to be so rude? Ellen: It distresses me to punish him. Jane: lean understand that, but spare the rod and spoil the child.

See also: and, child, rod, spare, spoil

spare the rod and spoil the child

Discipline is necessary for good upbringing, as in She lets Richard get away with anything-spare the rod, you know. This adage appears in the Bible (Proverbs 13:24) and made its way into practically every proverb collection. It originally referred to corporal punishment. It is still quoted, often in shortened form, and today does not necessarily mean physical discipline.

See also: and, child, rod, spare, spoil

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

spare the rod and spoil the child

People say spare the rod and spoil the child, to mean that if you do not punish a child severely when the child behaves badly, their behaviour will become worse. Kids needed authority figures — spare the rod and spoil the child. Note: People sometimes just say spare the rod. We believe in discipline. We don't spare the rod.

See also: and, child, rod, spare, spoil

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

spare the rod and spoil the child

if children are not physically punished when they do wrong their personal development will suffer. proverb

See also: and, child, rod, spare, spoil

ˌspare the ˈrod and ˌspoil the ˈchild

(saying) if you do not punish a child for behaving badly, he/she will behave badly in future

See also: and, child, rod, spare, spoil

spare the rod and spoil the child

Discipline makes for a good upbringing. This warning appears in the Bible (“He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes,” Proverbs 13:24), and is repeated in numerous subsequent proverb collections. Although today we frown on corporal punishment, the term persists, the rod now usually signifying discipline in a looser sense. Stanley Walker, who delighted in mixing metaphors and clichés, wrote: “He never spared the rod or spoiled the broth” (The Uncanny Knacks of Mr. Doherty, 1941).

See also: and, child, rod, spare, spoil

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