The proof of the pudding is in the eating
- The proof of the pudding is in the eating
The proof of the pudding is in the eating is a proverb that means "You will not fully comprehend it until you try it" or "results are what count."
It is frequently rendered in the shorter form The proof is in the pudding, which dates back to the 1920s and came into common use in the United States in the 1950s. [ [http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pro1.htm Proof of the pudding] (Michael Quinion, "World Wide Words")] The "American Heritage Dictionary" trims it even further, to proof in pudding. [ [http://ask.yahoo.com/20020903.html Where does the phrase "the proof is in the pudding" come from?] (Ask Yahoo, Tue 03 Sep 2002)]
Origins
The current phrasing is generally credited to Miguel de Cervantes in "Don Quixote" (1615) [ [http://www.quoteworld.org/quotes/2610 The proof of the pudding is in the eating. by Miguel de Cervantes] (Quoteworld)] , via the popular 1701 translation by Peter Anthony Motteux. Motteux' translation of the book is famously loose. [ [http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proof-of-the-pudding.html Proof of the pudding] (The Phrase Finder)] Cervantes' original phrase is "al freír de los huevos lo verá", "you will see it when you go to fry the eggs." [ [http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~dgowler/chapter.htm New Boundaries in Old Territory. Emory Studies in Early Christianity, volume 3] , footnote 107] Motteux also snuck the "eggs in one basket" proverb into the Quixote. [B.J. Herbison, [http://herbison.com/herbison/broken_eggs_quixote.html Notes on the translation of Don Quixote] ]
Rogers' "Dictionary of Cliche" and the "Oxford Dictionary of Quotations" date it to the 14th century as "Jt is ywrite that euery thing Hymself sheweth in the tastyng", and William Camden stated it in 1605 in "Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine" as "All the proofe of a pudding, is in the eating". [ [http://www.answers.com/topic/the-proof-of-the-pudding Proof of the pudding] (Answers.com)]
A 1682 translation of Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux "Le Lutrin" (written between 1672 and 1674) renders it "The proof of th' pudding's seen i' the eating." [ [http://library.wustl.edu/~listmgr/imagelib/Jun1996/0010.html Re: Correct Cliche] (Joel Wolfson, Imagelib mailing list, Mon 10 Jun 1996)]
References
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the proof of the pudding is in the eating — Proof means ‘test’ rather than the more normal ‘verification, proving to be true’. c 1300 King Alisaunder (EETS) 1. 4038 Jt is ywrite that euery thing Hymself sheweth in the tastyng. 1623 W. CAMDEN Remains concerning Britain (ed. 3) 266 All the… … Proverbs new dictionary
(the) proof of the pudding (is in the eating) — the proof of the pudding (is in the eating) phrase you can only judge the quality of something by trying it for yourself Thesaurus: words used to describe proof and evidencehyponym to try to show that an idea or belief is wrongsynonym Main entry … Useful english dictionary
(the) proof of the pudding (is in the eating). — The proof of the pudding (is in the eating). something that you say which means that you cannot judge the value of something until you have tried it. I ve read the proposal and it looks promising, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating … New idioms dictionary
(the) proof of the pudding is in the eating — the proof of the pudding (is in the eating) the way to judge something is by its results. Economic growth is the proof of the pudding for the president s tax and budget plans … New idioms dictionary
the proof of the pudding is in the eating — ► the proof of the pudding is in the eating proverb the real value of something can be judged only from practical experience or results. Main Entry: ↑proof … English terms dictionary
the proof of the pudding is in the eating — proverb the real value of something can be judged only from practical experience or results and not from appearance or theory * * * the proof of the pudding is in the eating see ↑pudding • • • Main Entry: ↑eat … Useful english dictionary
proof of the pudding is in the eating — This means that something can only be judged when it is tested or by its results. (It is often shortened to Proof of the pudding .) … The small dictionary of idiomes
proof of the pudding is in the eating — Only through actual experience can the value of something be tested. A proverb. * /He was intrigued by the ads about the new high mileage sports cars. Drive one, sir, the salesman said. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. / … Dictionary of American idioms
proof of the pudding is in the eating — Only through actual experience can the value of something be tested. A proverb. * /He was intrigued by the ads about the new high mileage sports cars. Drive one, sir, the salesman said. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. / … Dictionary of American idioms
proof\ of\ the\ pudding\ is\ in\ the\ eating — proverb Only through actual experience can the value of something be tested. He was intrigued by the ads about the new high mileage sports cars. Drive one, sir, the salesman said. the proof of the pudding is in the eating … Словарь американских идиом
