Them that's slack in gude are eydent in ill.
The muck midden is the mither o' the meal kist.
Them wha gae jumpin' awa aft come limpin' hame.
Them wha stand on a knowe's sure to be noticed.
Or they who elevate themselves to a public position are sure to be conspicuous.
Then's then, but noo's the noo.
"'Weel, Lindy man,' says Colin, 'that's a' true,
But then was then, my lad, an' noo is noo;
'Bout then-a-days, we'd seldom met wi' cross,
Nor kent the ill o' conters or a loss.
But noo, the case is altered very sair.'"
—Ross's Helenore.
The name o' an honest woman's muckle worth.
The nearer e'en the mair beggars.