15th-century

• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

  It is better to hold onto something you already possess than to risk it for the chance of gaining something potentially greater but uncertain.

• Beat Around the Bush

  To avoid discussing the main topic or issue directly, often by speaking vaguely or indirectly.

• Catch red-handed

  To discover someone in the very act of committing a crime or wrongdoing, often with incriminating evidence clearly visible.

• To be threadbare

  To be so old or worn out that the individual threads of fabric are visible, or, figuratively, to lack originality and freshness.

• foxy

  Possessing a clever, cunning, or sly nature, often implying a charming or alluring intelligence.