Does anyone know where the expression "the proof is in the pudding" originates from?

Answer 1

I have heard BBC reporters say ‘the proof is in the pudding’. Surely the phrase should be ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’.”

[A] Indeed it should.

However, the version you quote is a form that has been appearing with increasing frequency in books and newspapers, so we ought not to single out the BBC for censure. As another recent instance, the Boston Herald had this in its issue of 3 February 2004: “While the team’s first Super Bowl victory back in 2002 could be explained away by some skeptics as a fluke, the second victory is the proof in the pudding in cementing the Pats’ status as the cream of the NFL crop.“

But examples can be found in American newspapers at least as far back as the 1920s and it became relatively common from the middle 1950s onwards. Slightly different versions also turn up from time to time, such as this about a charity considering its links with Michael Jackson, “Until there’s some proof in the pudding, we will continue to remain neutral” (The Grand Rapids Press, 30 November 2003), and about an election in Canada, “I guess that the proof in the pudding will be on Oct. 2” (Toronto Star, 29 September 2003).

The principal trouble with the proof is in the pudding is that it makes no sense. What has happened is that writers half-remember the proverb as the proof of the pudding, which is also unintelligible unless you know the full form from which the tag was taken, and have modified it in various ways in unsuccessful attempts to turn it into something sensible.

They wouldn’t make this mistake if they knew two important facts. The full proverb is indeed the proof of the pudding is in the eating and proof has the sense of “test” (as it also has, or used to have, in phrases such as proving-ground and printer’s proof). The proverb literally says that you won’t know whether food has been cooked properly until you try it. Or, putting it figuratively, don’t assume that something is in order or believe what you are told, but judge the matter by testing it; it’s much the same philosophy as in seeing is believing and actions speak louder than words.

The proverb is ancient—it has been traced back to 1300 and was popularised by Cervantes in his Don Quixote of 1605. It’s sad that it has lasted so long, only to be corrupted in modern times.

Answer 2

Perhaps it's a sign of our increasingly fast-paced, short-attention-span society that even our old proverbs are being shortened and clipped down from the original full sayings. Word Detective and other etymology sites pointed out that the phrase originated as "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." It means that the true value or quality of something can only be judged when it's put to use. The meaning is often summed up as "results are what count."
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."

Word Detective and the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms note that the phrase came into use around 1600. However, a bulletin board quotes The Dictionary of Cliches, which dates the phrase to the 14th century. The board also mentions a 1682 version from Bileau's Le Lutrin, which read, "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. So it seems likely that the phrase dates back to the 1600s, though the identity of its author is disputed.

These days, some people shorten the phrase to simply "proof of the pudding." Even the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language trims it down. Occasionally, it is even further abbreviated to "proof in pudding," irritating purists who argue that the shortened versions don't mean anything on their own. Let's just hope it doesn't get further reduced any time soon. "Proofpudding" just doesn't cut it.

Answer 3

October 22, 1996


the proof of the pudding


Cevza M. Zerkel writes:
Last night distinguished New Yorker writer Ken Auletta, on the News Hour on PBS was heard to utter "the proof is in the pudding." Surely this meaningless distortion of the axiom "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" must be quashed (and he should know better). Agreed?
Well, "quashed" is a rather strong word. The variant the proof is in the pudding is fairly well established; and since many people don't know what the full form the proof of the pudding is in the eating means to begin with, we should start worrying about that.

Proof in the full version of this proverb is used in the now largely archaic sense 'test'. Pudding originally referred to a type of sausage, then to any food in a casing or crust. The proverb means something like 'don't judge something superficially, judge by the true result'. Proof does not mean 'a demonstration of truthfulness', the usual current meaning.

It is true that the shortened version, the proof is in the pudding, doesn't mean much on its own, but proverbs often shift their meanings and their forms, so the shortening shouldn't be regarded as that unusual. The shortened form is well attested; at Random House in the last ten years we've collected examples from a variety of sources, including The New York Times and a senator's speech, as well as your example from an unquestionably distinguished writer.

The first known use of the proverb is around 1300; it was attested in America in the late eighteenth century, and is considered one of the most common English proverbs.

Answer 4

[Q] From Terry Cleary: “I have heard BBC reporters say ‘the proof is in the pudding’. Surely the phrase should be ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’.”

[A] Indeed it should.

However, the version you quote is a form that has been appearing with increasing frequency in books and newspapers, so we ought not to single out the BBC for censure. As another recent instance, the Boston Herald had this in its issue of 3 February 2004: “While the team’s first Super Bowl victory back in 2002 could be explained away by some skeptics as a fluke, the second victory is the proof in the pudding in cementing the Pats’ status as the cream of the NFL crop.“

But examples can be found in American newspapers at least as far back as the 1920s and it became relatively common from the middle 1950s onwards. Slightly different versions also turn up from time to time, such as this about a charity considering its links with Michael Jackson, “Until there’s some proof in the pudding, we will continue to remain neutral” (The Grand Rapids Press, 30 November 2003), and about an election in Canada, “I guess that the proof in the pudding will be on Oct. 2” (Toronto Star, 29 September 2003).

The principal trouble with the proof is in the pudding is that it makes no sense. What has happened is that writers half-remember the proverb as the proof of the pudding, which is also unintelligible unless you know the full form from which the tag was taken, and have modified it in various ways in unsuccessful attempts to turn it into something sensible.

They wouldn’t make this mistake if they knew two important facts. The full proverb is indeed the proof of the pudding is in the eating and proof has the sense of “test” (as it also has, or used to have, in phrases such as proving-ground and printer’s proof). The proverb literally says that you won’t know whether food has been cooked properly until you try it. Or, putting it figuratively, don’t assume that something is in order or believe what you are told, but judge the matter by testing it; it’s much the same philosophy as in seeing is believing and actions speak louder than words.

The proverb is ancient—it has been traced back to 1300 and was popularised by Cervantes in his Don Quixote of 1605. It’s sad that it has lasted so long, only to be corrupted in modern times.

Answer 5

it's a phrase that we don't say right. the original phrase was "The proof of the pudding is the eating

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

proof of the pudding

NOUN: Informal The ultimate evidence attesting the true nature of something: The proof of the pudding is in the election results, not the polling.
ETYMOLOGY: From the proverb The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Answer 6

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.

Answer 7

The full proverb is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" and "proof" has the sense of “test” (as it also has, or used to have, in phrases such as proving-ground and printer’s proof).

The proverb literally says that you won’t know whether food has been cooked properly until you try it. Or, putting it figuratively, don’t assume that something is in order or believe what you are told, but judge the matter by testing it; it’s much the same philosophy as in seeing is believing and actions speak louder than words.

Answer 8

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."

Answer 9

It is actually a misquote of the phrase ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’.”

Answer 10

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating" comes from Miguel de Cervantes "Don Quixote"