On Mon, 2004-03-08 at 15:32, Christopher Sawtell wrote: > On Mon, 08 Mar 2004 14:41, Michael JasonSmith wrote: > > I had heard of GTK-PHP before, and I remember thinking that crack must > > be quite cheap overseas. It must be even cheaper than I first thought > > if people are actually writing interactive GUI programs using a language > > that was designed to assist with Web management. > Proof of pudding is that it appears ( 10 min fiddle ) to work.
Funnily enough, this morning I got this exact phrase in the worldwidewords.org newsletter :- > Q. 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". [Terry Cleary] > > 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 "the exception proves the rule" and in phrases > such as "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. > To repeat Michael :- > > I really have no basis to criticise others language choice :)
