What it means: ‘Blood is thicker than water’ describes that direct family is more important than any other relationships.

Where it comes from: While the phrase is now used to put family first, the origins are actually the opposite. The full phrase “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb” refers to soldiers who shared the blood they spilt in battles together. The ‘blood brothers’ as they were referred to, claimed to have strong bonds than biological brothers.