gaes half away in parings.

For a greater part of the income is absorbed in the expenses of
collecting it.

King's cauff's worth ither folk's corn.

"'I am sure,' said Ritchie, composedly, 'I wish Laurie a higher
office, for your lordship's sake and for mine, and specially for his
ain sake, being a friendly lad; yet your lordship must consider that
a scullion--if a yeoman of the king's most royal kitchen may be
called a scullion--may weel rank with a master-cook elsewhere; being
that king's cauff, as I said before, is better than ----.'"--_Fortunes
of Nigel._

Kings hae lang hands.

Kiss and be kind, the fiddler is blind.

Kiss a sklate stane, and that winna slaver you.

"'Ah! bonny lass,' says he, 'ye'll gies a kiss,
An' I sall set ye richt on, hit or miss.'
'A hit or miss I'll get, but help o' you,
Kiss ye sklate-stanes, they winna weet your mou'.'
An' aff she gaes, the fallow loot a rin,
As gin he ween'd wi' speed to tak her in,
But as luck was, a knibblich took his tae,
An' o'er fa's he, an' tumbled doun the brae."--_Ross's Helenore._

Kissing gaes by favour.

Kissing is cried down since the shaking o' hands.

Kelly says (1721), "There is a proclamation that nobody should kiss
hereafter, but only shake hands." Spoken by a woman who is asked for
a kiss, but who is unwilling to allow it.

Kiss my foot, there's mair flesh on't.

A sharp reply to those who obsequiously ask permission to kiss the
hand.

Kiss ye me till I be white, an' that will be an ill web to bleach.

Knock a carle, and ding a carle, and that's the way to win a carle; kiss
a carle, and clap a carle, and that's the way to tine a carle.

"Both these are joined together, and signify that people of mean
breeding are rather to be won by harsh treatment than
civil."--_Kelly._

Kythe in your ain colours, that folk may ken ye.

[Illustration]

Lacking breeds laziness, but praise breeds pith.

"Discommend a boy, and you discourage him; but commend him, and it
will spur him on."--_Kelly._

Lads will be men.

Laith to bed, laith oot o't.

Laith to drink, laith frae't.

Meaning that although some people are slow or "laith" to begin a
thing, still, when they do commence, it is difficult to get them to
leave off.

Lang and sma', gude for naething ava.

Jocularly applied to those who a