"The proof is in the pudding."
It's an old colloquialism that, generally, means one has to
actually taste/feel/see/experience something to make a critical valuation of that
something's worth or merit.
Welcome to the September edition of
Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.
Here's an interesting exchange that took place on NPR, when a
featured guest used that exact expression.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Next,
we have a correction of sorts, though it's also a story of how language
evolves. We're following up on a phrase in a commentary by the sportswriter
Frank Deford. "The proof is
in the pudding," he said. Tim Lowe wrote us all the way from Santiago de Cali,
Colombia, and he writes the following: Frank, the proof is not in the pudding.
It would be a messy, if not completely silly place to keep it. With that in mind,
we called Ben Zimmer, language columnist at the Boston Globe.
BEN ZIMMER: Well, "the proof is in the pudding" is a new twist on a very old proverb. The original version is "The proof of the pudding is in the eating." And what it meant was that you had to try out food in order to know whether it was good.
INSKEEP: Zimmer adds that the word pudding itself has changed. In Britain, dating back centuries, pudding meant more than a sweet dessert.
ZIMMER: Back then, pudding referred to a kind of sausage, filling the intestines of some animal with minced meat and other things - something you probably want to try out carefully since that kind of food could be rather treacherous.
INSKEEP: OK. So, over the years, the original proverb has evolved. The original was "The proof of the pudding is in the eating." It was shortened to "The proof of the pudding," and then here in America, it morphed again to "The proof is in the pudding." Apparently, the proof of the listening is in the correcting.
BEN ZIMMER: Well, "the proof is in the pudding" is a new twist on a very old proverb. The original version is "The proof of the pudding is in the eating." And what it meant was that you had to try out food in order to know whether it was good.
INSKEEP: Zimmer adds that the word pudding itself has changed. In Britain, dating back centuries, pudding meant more than a sweet dessert.
ZIMMER: Back then, pudding referred to a kind of sausage, filling the intestines of some animal with minced meat and other things - something you probably want to try out carefully since that kind of food could be rather treacherous.
INSKEEP: OK. So, over the years, the original proverb has evolved. The original was "The proof of the pudding is in the eating." It was shortened to "The proof of the pudding," and then here in America, it morphed again to "The proof is in the pudding." Apparently, the proof of the listening is in the correcting.
As for yours truly, I'd like to invoke the colloquialism from
a visual standpoint, to display some caricatures I've
done, live, at various occasions such as weddings, corporate events, parties and retail grand openings. And hope in this case, the "proof" of their value -- i.e. the
likeness of the subject -- is in the
drawing.
See you again the first Tuesday of next month for what's become another old saying...
Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.
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