Every mickle mek a muckle.

Traditional Jamaican proverb · taught in St. Mary and St. James

Written in Cassidy-JLU

Evri mikl mek a mokl.

Word for word

Every little bit makes a large amount.

What it actually means

Small savings and small efforts count — market wisdom for money and life.

How it is built

single-clause indicative, sound pair

Mickle and muckle differ by a single vowel, so the line is nearly one word said twice, and both are old borrowings kept alive by this proverb.

Where it comes up

This one is taught in St. Mary and St. James.

More proverbs

Chicken merry, hawk deh near.In your happiest moments, stay watchful — danger comes without warning.
Small axe fall big tree.The small can defeat the mighty — a proverb Bob Marley carried to the world.
Cock mout kill cock.Your own careless talk can destroy you — mind what you report and repeat.
Wha fi yu cyaan be un-fi-yu.What's destined for you can't be taken away — keep working toward your future.

Sources

The proverb is folk material. The description of how it is put together follows the framework in the work above; the translation and the commentary are mine.

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