English · Proverb Candidate

The vicar of Bray will be vicar of Bray. (Manser, 2007 p. 286)

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Someone who adapts to circumstances to maintain position

Literally: a clergyman from Bray

Examples

He changed parties twice, proving the vicar of Bray will be vicar of Bray

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “The vicar of Bray will be vicar of Bray. (Manser, 2007 p. 286)” mean?

Someone who adapts to circumstances to maintain position Literally: a clergyman from Bray

Is “The vicar of Bray will be vicar of Bray. (Manser, 2007 p. 286)” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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