ProverbWisdom
English origin1605
English origin1605The proof is in the pudding
Meaning: Results speak louder than promises.
Origin: The full saying is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating," recorded by the antiquarian William Camden in 1605. A pudding then was often a sausage-like dish of meat and grain boiled in an animal's gut, which could look fine and still be spoiled — the only real test was to eat it. The shortened "the proof is in the pudding" loses that logic.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
French: C'est au pied du mur qu'on voit le maçon (literally: It's at the foot of the wall that you see the mason)
Spanish: Al freír será el reír (literally: When frying will come the laughing)
Japanese: 論より証拠 (Ron yori shōko) (literally: Evidence over argument)
German: Probieren geht über Studieren (literally: Trying beats studying)
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Eline sağlık Praise and thanks to someone — especially a cook — for something made beautifully by hand.
- És uma joia You're a gem — a precious, lovely person.
- Sei un salame You're a clumsy, dopey softie — said with a smile.
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