The mousse did it.
Dear Word Detective: Where does the saying “the proof’s in the pudding” come from? My mom told me to look it up because she used it, but I can’t find anything about it except for people using it, nothing about what it means or where it came from! — Sammy.
Well, that’s because you’re probably using Google. Google is good for many things, but when what you want is the story behind something (as opposed to simply a sense of how many people are talking about it), it’s like trying to take a sip from a firehose. Next time you’re looking for a word or phrase origin, go to our website at www.word-detective.com and scroll down to the bottom of any page. There you’ll find a specially-configured Google search box that only searches reliable English etymology websites. Even if I haven’t covered the topic, you may find that someone else has.
I actually did cover “the proof is in the pudding” about eight years ago, but it’s a common question, so we’ll take it for another spin. “The proof is in the pudding” is a popular figure of speech meaning “the quality, effectiveness or truth of something can only be judged by putting it into action or to its intended use” (“So the proof is in the pudding: they made a big pronouncement on crime prevention, and now they have to follow through,” Edmonton Sun, 3/25/08).
At first glance, “the proof is in the pudding” seems thoroughly mysterious. What proof, in what pudding? Does this have anything to do with Colonel Mustard in the study with a candlestick? But the key to the mystery lies in the fact that “the proof is in the pudding” is actually a mangled form of the original phrase, which was “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” A dish may have been made from a good recipe with fresh ingredients and look delicious, but you can really only judge it by putting it in your mouth. The actual taste is the only true criterion of success.
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating” is a very old phrase, dating back to at least 1605, and “proof” in the adage is an antiquated use of the word in the sense of “test” (also found in “printer’s proof,” a preliminary “test” copy of a book printed to check for errors, etc., before commencing a large print run).
Just how and why “the proof of the pudding is in the eating” was shortened to the semi-nonsensical “the proof is in the pudding” remains a mystery, but it’s worth noting that most people now interpret “proof” in the sense of “conclusive evidence.” That’s probably just as well, since “the test is in the pudding” would make, if possible, even less sense. In any case, “the proof is in the pudding” is hardly the only English idiom that doesn’t make any sense if read literally, and it certainly serves a useful purpose, even if it does sound like a cryptic clue from a Sherlock Holmes story.
Thanks for the explanation and the original quote ” The Proof of Pudding is in the Eating” should be reintroduced and should be encouraged for use. The proof refers to the quality, the reliability of a material product like the pudding and it could be directly experienced by the simple act of eating and the taste sensation it imparts is like any other valid scientific observation, a simple experiment to establish the truth.
Strangely enough, here in Ireland (and I assume the UK would be the same) the whole phrase is usually used. When it is shortened it’s shortened to “The proof of the pudding”. So I suspect the changed version of the phrase only evolved once it had reached American shores.
Dear Everyone,
I find this proverb more motivative to my school children when they appear for their Annual Exams. It is the process of anything
that makes one sucessful at the end of everything.
Chidambaram Thanupillai.
I remember my “History of the English Language” professor telling our class the phrase, “The proof’s in the pudding” refers to testing the pudding readiness by chewing the pudding bag string. Thank you.
I’ve always understood that this phrase to mean “pudding” in its modern English use: that is, what we in the States would call a cake. If the cake/pudding is not properly cooked (i.e, well thought out), then the proof or eating will reveal that to be the case, meaning it won’t taste good.
This is one of the first results when you google “the proof is in the pudding”. I think you might want to rewrite the beginning of this article.
I think we can reduce the summarry to Get there how you may the end result is what counts.
how would you write it Adrien?
I have written to journalists here in Australia correcting their use of the nonsensical contraction of the original saying. There is either no response or the claim that the short version is understood by all so don’t be so pedantic! We were taught the proper version at school in the 50′s/60′s but Aussie journos prefer the stupid lazy version.
I ended my scholarship essay tonight with this, though modified to say the proof is -already- in the pudding. Maybe I should have said the pudding has already been eaten ;) j/k
Your description was very helpful in affirming that I had the correct meaning. Thank you very much!
I have a different opinion. When bakers place bread dough to rise on a shelf it is called “proofing.” I think a case could be made for “Proof is in the pudding” to reference placing the dough in a bread pudding or other bread based pudding to rise and coagulate the pudding with the dough.
Thus the “Proof is in the Pudding” may mean that the dough is in the pudding and is the last stage of preparation before cooking. Therefore the proof being in the pudding suggests all the preparations are complete and ready to bake. Therefore the proof is in the pudding suggesting the last stage before before final baking.
I LIKE TO ADHERE TO THE ORIGINAL USAGE” THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING IS IN THE EATING” Easy to undrstand and memorise.
Even though the original meaning has been shown from the English, I think that there is also a possibly of its meaning coming from one who boasts of making the best plum pudding. Boasting aside, the real proof of its quality is in the eating(tasting). “you can say what you want, but I want to see the results”.
Whether the words were somewhat changed once the phrase reached the States or not, the meaning is still the same. “Proof is in the pudding” means, the proof of a successful idea or philosophy for success is the FINAL successful results of that implemented idea or philosophy on any given situation, whether it be an implemented political, educational or family policy: Were the results successful or unsuccesful? Well, the proof is in the pudding!
Also, I would be curious to know the age of the person who wrote this article!
Are you sure that “proof” means “quality”? It could be that “proof” means “leaven”. Puddings haven’t always been a sweet dessert goo. They are sometimes bread-like or cake-like and baked or steamed, and would rise like a quick bread. “Proofing” means rising where baking is concerned, usually with yeast. So perhaps, “The proof is in the pudding” means that if the leaven is in there, and is working properly, the pudding will rise as it’s supposed to. That would explain the meaning as being “it’s self-evident”, rather than a truncated version of “you’ll see the quality by eating it”.
I had a double confusion going with this on. I didn’t know there was a long version,and heard the short version many times. But in America, native speakers often don’t enuciate their Ts but rather make them sound like Ds. I.E. the word “latter” often comes out “ladder’. So pudding might be putting! That’s how it sounds. Either way it means the same thing, an idea has to be implimented successfully after it’s conceived to prove it’s validity.
A spiritual thought on pudding proof might be reflected in the comparing spiritual truths with spiritual words conveying to the mind and heart of the reader the true thought of the inspired writer.The tasting comes from psalm 119 : 103 where He said sweet are thy words to my taste.
Lost in His love… Dick
I thought the phrase was originally part of a child’s book or poem.
I`ve always thought it made more sense if the spelling of the word is with “T”s : “putting”, so as to say that the proof is in the putting of an idea or advice into practice, thus proving whether it works or not. Using “pudding” as an example seems a little silly and sophomoric to me.