The Proof is in the puddingThe Proof is in the pudding : PhrasesMeaning: The end result or finished product is determines success or failure. The true value or quality of something can only be judged when it's put to use - the results are what counts. Example: Go ahead - talk all you want about your wonderful recipe and its fine ingredients, but ultimately the proof is in the pudding. Origin: This is an abbreviated version of the term the proof of the pudding is in the eating. To the British, pudding means the same as dessert in the US. The point of the term is that one cannot determine how good a dessert will be during preparation or based on appearance. How good a dessert will be can only be determined by the final taste. Alternative: According to Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, the phrase dates back to at least 1615 when Miguel de Cervantes published Don Quixote. In this comic novel, the phrase is stated as The proof of the pudding is the eating. A 1682 version from Bileau's Le Lutrin reads, The proof of th' pudding's seen i' the eating. A page of pudding definitions from the Oxford English Dictionary also cites the author Boileau (Bileau) as the first to use the phrase. It seems likely that the phrase dates back to the 1600s, though the identity of its author is disputed. Today the phrase is sometimes shortened to proof of the pudding or proof in pudding. 2010 potential shortened phrase: Proofpudding? Not... Phrases Index | ||
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