The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (445 page)
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PROCRASTINATION is the thief of time
1742Night Thoughts
I
. 18
Procrastination is the Thief of Time; Year after year it steals, till all are fled.
1850
David Copperfield
xii.
Never do to-morrow what you can do to-day. Procrastination is the thief of time.
1935
Primrose Path
100
Far from being the thief of Time, procrastination is the king of it.
1982
Goosefoot
vii.
He told them that Death tried to rival procrastination as the thief of time.
procrastinationPROMISES, like pie-crust, are made to be broken
1681Heraclitus Ridens
16 Aug.
He makes no more of breaking Acts of Parliaments, than if they were like Promises and Pie-crust made to be broken.
1871
Ralph the Heir
II. iv.
‘Promises like that are mere pie-crust,’ said Ralph.
1948
Still glides Stream
v.
Ain't you larned yet that a gal's promises be but piecrust, made to be broke?
1981
Family Circle
Feb. 66
Promises, like pie-crusts, they say, are made to be broken. Not at Sainsbury's. Every single pie they sell lives up to the promise of its famous name.
deceptionThe 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) l. 4038
Jt is ywrite that euery thing Hymself sheweth in the tastyng.
1623
Remains concerning Britain
(ed. 3) 266
All the proofe of a pudding, is in the eating.
1666
Italian Proverbs
100 (
note
)
As they say at the winding up, or the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
1738
Polite Conversation
II
. 132
The Proof of the Pudden is in the Eating.
1842
Ingoldsby Legends
2nd Ser. 25
With respect to the scheme .. I've known soldiers adopt a worse stratagem … There's a proverb however, I've always thought clever .. The proof of the Pudding is found in the eating.
1924
White Monkey
III
. xii.
Let us .. look at the thing more widely. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
1979
Daily Telegraph
27 Oct. 3
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The villagers eat their own vegetables and suffer no illness.
1997
New Scientist
19 July 41
Lindzen for one argues that if the models get the detail wrong, they will get the big picture wrong, too. But modellers say the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
appearance
;
reality and illusion
means ‘test’ rather than the more normal ‘verification, proving to be true’.
c1300
King Alisaunder
(EETS) l. 4038
Jt is ywrite that euery thing Hymself sheweth in the tastyng.
1623
Remains concerning Britain
(ed. 3) 266
All the proofe of a pudding, is in the eating.
1666
Italian Proverbs
100 (
note
)
As they say at the winding up, or the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
1738
Polite Conversation
II
. 132
The Proof of the Pudden is in the Eating.
1842
Ingoldsby Legends
2nd Ser. 25
With respect to the scheme .. I've known soldiers adopt a worse stratagem … There's a proverb however, I've always thought clever .. The proof of the Pudding is found in the eating.
1924
White Monkey
III
. xii.
Let us .. look at the thing more widely. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
1979
Daily Telegraph
27 Oct. 3
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The villagers eat their own vegetables and suffer no illness.
1997
New Scientist
19 July 41
Lindzen for one argues that if the models get the detail wrong, they will get the big picture wrong, too. But modellers say the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
appearance;
reality and illusion
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