The concept of Proverbidioms developed in 1973 from a fascination with Brueghel's Netherlandish Proverbs.

A young Thom Breitenbach was fresh out of the University of Notre Dame when he bought a book about Brughel and decided to spend a couple of years working on what would become one of the most popular portmanteaus ever created.

Thom collected over 1000 proverbs and popular expressions from books, friends, and family. Then, he began to envision them as collage paintings.

The original Proverbidioms contained over 300 common proverbs, catchphrases, and cliches, including "You are what you eat" and "A Frog in the throat."

The sayings were painted literally and are whimsical, comical, and somewhat bizarre, especially if one does not at first realize what the painting is about. For example, "You are what you eat" is represented in the painting by a carrot eating a carrot. 

It was designed as a poster, with a guide attached, and was so popular that it remains in print with hundreds of thousands of copies sold. It was also made famous on TV, appearing in scenes from Beverly Hills, 90210, and episodes of the popular soap opera As the World Turns as set decoration.

The Proverbidioms series is used in classrooms nationwide to teach about proverbs and in over 100 countries worldwide to teach English to foreign students.

Thom followed it up with a second version, and then Ultimate Proverbidioms was added to the collection in 1999.

In 2012, the whole set of paintings was turned into an iPad app, so if you enjoy this painting in puzzle form, you can check it out along with its sibling pictures in digital game form.

The perfect gift for wooden jigsaw puzzlers and T.E. Breitenbach enthusiasts, this traditional adult wooden jigsaw puzzle can be done time and again. Our wooden jigsaw puzzle artists have included many shaped whimsy wooden jigsaw puzzle pieces that match the theme of the image, and we have integrated them in ways that will delight and surprise you as you put the wooden jigsaw puzzle together.