The Miser – An English fairy tale from Aesop’s fables with vocabulary practice and podcast
Source of story: Gutenberg Project at www.gutenberg.org
The Miser
A miser sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at daily.
- miser: ungenerous and selfish person
- lump: solid chunk
One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements.
- workman: craftsman
He soon discovered the secret of the hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold, and stole it.
- treasure: jewels and precious objects
The miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to make loud lamentations.
- tear one’s hair out: feel extremely anxious, worried and frustrated
- lamentation: weeping and crying
A neighbor, seeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said:
- overcome with: weakened by, overwhelmed by
- grief: sorrow
“Pray do not grieve so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that the gold is still lying there.
- pray (interjection): emphasizing a command
- fancy (verb): imagine
It will do you quite the same service; for when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did not make the slightest use of it.”
- slightest: smallest, minimum
Related idioms & proverbs
- Your eyes are bigger than your stomach
