A friend in need is a friend indeed

Posted by ESC on October 02, 2005

In Reply to: A friend in need is a friend indeed posted by Rein on October 02, 2005

: In school they asked us to talk about 'A friend in need is a friend indeed'. What will I say?

You can say:

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).

For more discussion, search the archives under "friend need."

• A friend in need is a friend indeed Russ Cable 03/October/05