many a mickle makes a muckle

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛni‿ə ˈmɪk(ə)l meɪks‿ə ˈmʌk(ə)l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛni‿ə ˈmɪkəl meɪks‿ə ˈmʌkəl/

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• Rhymes: -ʌkəl
• Hyphenation: ma‧ny a mick‧le makes a muck‧le

The original form of the proverb was many a little (or pickle) makes a mickle, mickle meaning “a great amount”. However, it became corrupted to many a mickle makes a muckle, leading to mickle being thought to mean “a small quantity” and muckle to mean “a large quantity”, even though muckle is a variant of mickle and both mean “a large quantity”.^[1] The vowel change suggests the influence of ablaut reduplication.

many a mickle makes a muckle

1. (chiefly Northern England, Scotland) A lot of small amounts, put together, become a large amount.

   Synonyms: every little helps, little and often fills the purse, many a little makes a mickle, many a pickle makes a mickle, take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves

   • 1793 April 21, George Washington, Worthington Chauncey Ford, compiler and editor, “Letters to Anthony Whiting, 1793”, in The Writings of George Washington, volumes XII (1790–1794), New York, N.Y., London: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, the Knickerbocker Press, published 1891, →OCLC, page 382:

     People are often ruined before they are aware of the danger, by buying everything they think they want, without adverting to a Scotch adage—than which nothing in nature is more true—"that many mickles make a muckle."

     According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this is the first occurrence of the term in print.

• a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

• Alan D Mickle (1953) Many a Mickle, Melbourne, Vic.: F W Cheshire, →OCLC, page 12.