Fair without, foul within.
Is the proverb above grammatical?
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There isn't an explicit subject, nor a verb in that expression but it seems to me that both, i.e., the subject and verb are somewhat implied in that phrase of two adjectives modified by the adverbs following them.
It is not a grammatically complete sentence, but these kinds of proverbs or sayings often aren't. I expect this would be true in your native language too. This one presumably means something like "What is fair without is / may be foul within", or something similar.
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It is not a grammatically complete sentence, but these kinds of proverbs or sayings often aren't. I expect this would be true in your native language too. This one presumably means something like "What is fair without is / may be foul within", or something similar.
The general proverb is "Fair without, fair within [a person with a pleasing external appearance is usually a pleasing person on the inside]." "Fair without, foul within." is not a proverb. It's a play on the general proverb to express an exception to the general rule.