Meaning & Analysis
This proverb uses a pun on the word 'over'. It states that all 'overs'—meaning excesses or overindulgences—are bad. The only exception is the literal act of going 'over' the water by ferry, which is presented as a necessary and therefore acceptable action.
Insights
The Virtue of Moderation
The core message is a warning against extremes and an endorsement of moderation. It suggests that any behavior, quality, or substance, even if good in principle, becomes a 'vice' or harmful when taken to excess. The proverb champions balance as the key to well-being.
Linguistic Playfulness
The proverb itself is a commentary on the flexibility of language. It uses a 'quibble' or pun to deliver its moral lesson, demonstrating how wit and wordplay can be used to make a philosophical point more engaging and memorable.
Escape as a Valid Extreme
While condemning excess in one's current state, the exception ('over the water') metaphorically sanctions a complete change of state or escape. It implies that while overdoing things within a situation is ill-advised, a radical transition or journey to escape that situation entirely can be a positive and necessary 'over'.
The Ferry as Necessary Transition
The proverb's exception, 'over the water', points to the historical and psychological significance of crossing water. In an era of limited travel, a ferry journey represented a necessary, often transformative, act of passage—escape from plague, pursuit of new opportunities, or returning home. This makes the exception not merely a clever pun, but a culturally resonant symbol of permissible, and sometimes essential, transition.
Classical Roots in Folk Wisdom
The proverb is a vernacular expression of the classical philosophical principle 'meden agan' (nothing in excess) and its Latin formulation 'omne nimium vertitur in vitium' (all excess is turned into vice), as noted in the 1721 citation. It grounds this abstract ideal in a witty, memorable, and concrete English idiom.
Psychology of Memorable Contrast
The proverb's structure—a universal rule followed by a single, quirky exception—serves a psychological purpose. It makes the abstract danger of 'excess' more concrete by contrasting it with a familiar, physical action. This rhetorical move makes the warning against immoderation more vivid and easier to remember than a simple injunction.
Rhetorical Devices
Pun / Wordplay
The proverb's entire meaning hinges on the pun, or 'quibble', on the word 'over', contrasting its meaning as 'excess' with its literal meaning of 'across'. This wordplay is the source of its wit and memorability.
Antithesis
The structure creates a stark contrast between the universal negative statement ('All overs are ill') and the singular, concrete exception ('but over the water'), which effectively emphasizes the rarity of a 'good' excess.
Concrete Symbolism
By framing a journey as the sole exception, the proverb uses a specific, tangible image (a ferry) to represent an abstract idea (necessary action). This makes the philosophical argument more accessible and grounded.
Transcription
Quotations
(is ill except)
All overs are ill.
The English have a propriety of speech quibblingly; There's no over good, but over the Ferry, nor any out, but out of Prison.
Of everything, too much is hurtfull.
The English say, That there is no over-good, but over the Ferry.
(All Overs is Vice, but). *This shews the Folly of all Extremes, translated from the Latin, Omne nimium vertitur in vitium.
Cross References
Annotations
- excesses
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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