“The Proof Is in the Pudding?”
A couple of folks I used to work with asked me about that old expression, saying that it didn’t seem to make sense.
And it doesn’t—not by itself, anyway.
Like some other maxims that have been used a lot, over a long period of time, part of the wording has been eroded away. Add those missing parts, and you get the full wording of the original: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
Now it makes sense. No matter how appealing something may look, smell, or sound, a more important question is how well it meets other, more-important criteria. In the pudding’s case, we want it to taste good.
Here are three other old saws that have similar meanings: Beauty is only skin deep, You can’t judge a book by its cover, and He can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk?
But like most such simplified expressions, the advice of these is often ignored. We admire (and buy into) many ideas, candidates, and such on the basis of speech and appearance; we do in fact let book-covers influence what we buy and read; and we’re not about to ignore physical beauty, especially in people.
Maybe that’s why we need such expressions—to remind us that although we do value these qualities, there are other important factors that aren’t so immediately apparent, and we should consider these too.
And it doesn’t—not by itself, anyway.
Like some other maxims that have been used a lot, over a long period of time, part of the wording has been eroded away. Add those missing parts, and you get the full wording of the original: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
Now it makes sense. No matter how appealing something may look, smell, or sound, a more important question is how well it meets other, more-important criteria. In the pudding’s case, we want it to taste good.
Here are three other old saws that have similar meanings: Beauty is only skin deep, You can’t judge a book by its cover, and He can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk?
But like most such simplified expressions, the advice of these is often ignored. We admire (and buy into) many ideas, candidates, and such on the basis of speech and appearance; we do in fact let book-covers influence what we buy and read; and we’re not about to ignore physical beauty, especially in people.
Maybe that’s why we need such expressions—to remind us that although we do value these qualities, there are other important factors that aren’t so immediately apparent, and we should consider these too.
Posted by Dave at 9/17/2011 3:00 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: maxim The proof is in the pudding LandaBooks Language
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: maxim The proof is in the pudding LandaBooks Language
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