phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

A friend in need is a friend indeed

Posted by ESC on February 27, 2005

In Reply to: A friend in need is a friend indeed posted by elizabeth on February 27, 2005

: what exactly does this mean. Surely the person helping the needy one is the true friend!

A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED -- Someone who comes to your aid when you're in difficulty is a true friend. Here is the opposite of the fair-weather friend. The thought is old enough to have a Latin version and variants in medieval English going back to 1275. The modern version is close at hand in Richard Whytford's 'Werke for Householders' : 'A true frende loueth at all tymes and neuer feyleth at nede.'" From The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers (Ballantine Books, New York, 1985).

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.